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Sign up to FREE daily email alerts from liverpoolecho - daily Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email The new year is here and with it comes a whole host of new films and TV series for you to watch on Netflix. From second seasons of Sex Education and Ricky Gervais' After Life, to the new thriller A Fall from Grace, there will be plenty of new shows for you to binge watch in the New Year. But as the new titles come to our screens, we will also be waving goodbye to some of our favourites which are due to leave Netflix in January. Here’s a list of all the shows coming to the streaming service in 2020 and those that will no longer be available. (Image: PA) January 1st January Messiah - New thriller Spinning Out - an ice skating drama starring Kaya Scodelario and January Jones 3rd January Anne with an E: season 3 The third and final season of this latest adaptation of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s classic novel: Anne of Green Gables (Image: Liverpool Echo) 8th January Cheer Documentary series - from the makers of Last Chance U 10th January AJ and the Queen - a new series starring RuPaul as a drag queen who teams up with an 11-year-old girl to recoup the savings that were stolen from her (Image: Geoff Davies) 15th January Grace and Frankie: season 6 17th January Ares A Fall from Grace Sex Education: season 2 24th January Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: part 3 - the supernatural series following a teenage witch, as Sabrina prepares to enter hell in order to save her boyfriend The Ranch: season 4 (part 8) - the final season of The Ranch, starring Ashton Kutcher, Sam Elliott, Debra Winger and Elisha Cuthbert 30th January The Stranger - an eight-part psychological thriller starring The Hobbit’s Richard Armitage and based on Harlan Coben’s novel 31st January Bojack Horseman: season 6 – part 2 Ragnarok Also expected to arrive on Netflix later in 2020 After Life season 2 - the second season of Ricky Gervais' series After Life is also expected to land on Netflix in Spring 2020. (Image: PA) Narcos: Mexico: season 2 is also set to return on February 13 Better Call Saul: season 5 - the final season of the Breaking Bad spin-off will begin its weekly release schedule on February 24 (Image: Regional PA) The End of the F***ing World season 2 - having already aired on Channel 4 in November, the TV series will soon land on Netflix. Queer Eye season 5 is also set to return to Netflix in 2020. Good Girls season 3 - the comedy-drama is set to return for a third run. Titles Leaving Netflix UK in January 2020 Titles leaving on January 1st, 2020: Case Closed: 1 Season Gunslinger Girl: 2 Seasons Kikoriki: 2 Seasons Max & Ruby: 4 Seasons Odd Squad: 2 Seasons Red vs. Blue: 13 Seasons The Adventures of Figaro Pho: 1 Season The Client List: 2 Seasons The Future of Water: 1 Season The Little Prince: 1 Season Weeds: 8 Seasons Titles Leaving Netflix UK on January 6th, 2020: Grimm: Season 6 Titles Leaving Netflix UK on January 13th, 2020: Historia de un clan N Titles Leaving Netflix UK on January 15th, 2020: Tierra de Reyes: 1 Season Titles Leaving Netflix UK on January 17th, 2020: Helix: 2 Seasons The Secret Agent: 1 Season Titles Leaving Netflix UK on January 18th, 2020: Legends of Strength: 1 Season Strongland: 1 Season

2020 is a great time to make these 5 easy New Year's tech resolutions Show Caption Hide Caption Email tips so your inbox doesn’t get out of control Buzz60’s Elizabeth Keatinge tells us what some experts say about keeping email in check. Buzz60 Know Your Stuff is a new column that unlocks the hidden secrets about the everyday products you own. The start of a new year is the perfect time to rehabilitate bad habits. While some choose exercise or learning a second language, it's also an opportunity to make some changes to how you interface with your personal tech. Despite near-constant reminders of the importance of good passwords, checking our credit card statements, and avoiding phishing attempts, it's easy to get lazy about our internet habits. That's why now is a great time to set yourself up on the path to success. Here are five easy steps you can take to have a better, safer online life in 2020. 1. Get a password manager Maintaining strong, unique passwords is the "flossing your teeth" of internet life: absolutely essentially and yet widely ignored. Sometimes my own family members tell me that they don't need to worry. "Who would hack me?" they ask, as if victims are personally staked out rather than harvested millions at a time. So let's explain one more time. The reason you need passwords that are both strong and unique is simple. When a major hacking occurs, the stolen information is frequently sold on the dark web to other hackers, who, in turn, try to use the data to hack accounts on other sites. For example, if a hacker knows that "joe@fakeemail.com" used the password "abc123" on the first hacked site, they can put that information into a script that will try those credentials on 10,000 other popular sites, like banks, medical records websites, and other retailers. If "Joe" used the same credentials for multiple sites, he's in trouble. Don't be Joe. Use a password manager like LastPass, which can create a unique password for every site you log into – you'll only ever need to remember one master password. All your individual passwords are stored securely in the cloud and cannot be unencrypted, even by LastPass. It's cheap, too, with plans ranging from free to $3 to $4 per month. 2. Consider a VPN Your home Wi-Fi is safe (probably), as is the cellular signal from your phone's carrier, but please, please stop connecting to public Wi-Fi networks. If a car pulled up on the street with the word "police" written in crayon on the side, would you get in? Of course not, and yet plenty of people connect to "Starbucks Free WiFi" without any idea of who's actually managing the network, watching all of your online activity and waiting for you to reveal valuable personal data. A virtual private network (VPN) is the ideal protection against intruders, while still allowing you to hop on free Wi-Fi networks when you really need to. A VPN creates a sort of shell that allows you to keep your identity protected not just from Wi-Fi networks but also from the websites you visit. VPNs are crucial tools for journalists and political dissenters working under oppressive governments. For regular folks, they're just an additional layer of privacy that only truly essential when using public Wi-Fi. NordVPN or ExpressVPN are two popular and trusted choices, and trust is paramount because you have to take the VPN companies at their word when they say they're not monitoring your web traffic. 3. Clean out your inbox "Zero inbox," or having no unread emails, is considered by some to be akin to achieving a state of internet nirvana. It's something I strive for personally, but I try not to obsess over it. Depending on your rate of correspondence, maintaining a zero inbox may be an unnecessary distraction. Rather, the New Year might simply be a good time to unsubscribe from all that junk mail you receive. In accordance with CAN-SPAM legislation, it's required by U.S. law that commercial email (e.g. newsletters and marketing material) "must include a clear and conspicuous explanation of how the recipient can opt-out of getting email" from the company in the future. So look for an "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of the email. If you have Gmail, use the spam filter. If you want to go one step further, the FTC has recommendations that will scale back email, snail-mail, and spam phone calls. 4. Refresh, don't replace, old electronics If your laptop, tablet, or smartphone is getting old, try a little rehab before condemning it to the trash pile. With a few simple steps, it's easy to put some pep back in a computer. A phone or tablet can be sped up simply by removing unused apps, removing old photos and other data, and turning it off and on more frequently than you used to. Additional steps for iOS and Android devices will net you even faster performance. Your 2020 checklist: 6 steps to a safer digital life Making New Year’s resolutions? These free tech apps can help you attain your goals 5. Stop overpaying If it's been a while since you took a close look at the monthly statements from your cable provider, internet service, or phone carrier, it's time. Cable companies routinely lower their rates if you threaten to leave. Or perhaps it shouldn't be a mere threat. If you want to cut the cord, just add up the total cost of what you'd be paying Netflix, Disney+, and other services. If it's less than your cable bill, it may be time. Check your mobile phone bill for unnecessary add-ons like insurance, and call the carrier to try negotiate a lower price. You might also save a few dollars by switching to paperless billing or autopay. David Kender is the editor-in-chief of Reviewed, a product review website and part of the USA TODAY Network. If you have a question about how your stuff works, or just want to know what to buy, email him at request@reviewed.com.

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For Christmas, Elizabeth Faidley had bought a mermaid doll for her daughter, Ellie from the online Etsy store. But when the present was opened by the little girl, a weird, creepy looking doll was found instead. The poor child was so terrified that she did not want to even touch the scaled skin, green-haired doll, which was named Pearl. Later, when the doll was sent for repair to a ‘doll and teddy bear hospital’ in Secaucus, New Jersey, 56 grams of cocaine was found stuffed inside it, Metro reported. In no time the mother found herself in a strange conversation with a detective, who interrogated her about the way she had acquired the doll. She was asked if she had inherited the doll from some uncle, who had stuffed drugs in it 30 years ago. Her plight did not end here as she was further probed on why she chose to get her daughter a doll from online store instead of simply buying doll Ariel from The Little Mermaid. Elizabeth had shared her unfortunate incident on Facebook with the picture of Pearl. In her account, she said that since Ellie had asked for a baby mermaid doll, she could not possibly purchase Ariel which is a grown up version of a mermaid. The entire family’s background was checked to find out whether the drugs belonged to Elizabeth. Eventually, the family was let off the hook. The police carried out a sting on the doll maker in Alabama and an international drug trial is awaited. Elizabeth’s post recounting this plight, has 29000 shares so far. Get the best of News18 delivered to your inbox - subscribe to News18 Daybreak. Follow News18.com on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, TikTok and on YouTube, and stay in the know with what's happening in the world around you – in real time.

New Jersey: A woman from New Jersey is going viral after sharing an old story of how she discovered that the doll she bought for her 6-year-old daughter was actually stuffed with cocaine. Elizabeth Faidley, took to Facebook to share the story of her 2015 Christmas present fiasco and wrote how back in 2015, her daughter Ellie wanted a ‘merbaby’ for Christmas. “Being the adventurous gift buyer that I am, I searched and searched and finally found a hand-made mermaid baby doll on ETSY. In the pictures online, it appeared that Pearl was wearing a veil of some sort. But no, that was her creepy and weird skin,” Elizabeth wrote. However, her daughter was not impressed with the doll and to make her happy, Elizabeth then dyed up the doll’s hair and wrapped her up in a blanket, but to no avail. Ellie continued to reject the doll, and it is then that Faidley resorted to sending her to a doll hospital for some cosmetic changes. She didn’t hear much else until she got a phone call from the Secaucus Police Department demanding she come to the precinct immediately. The police told her that when the doll hospital ‘removed Pearl’s head to repaint her offensive skin, they found 2 ounces of Cocaine. Stuffed in her head.’ Faidley said that detectives investigated herself and her family, and eventually ruled them out as suspects. She, however, later got to know that Pearl was purchased from an Etsy shop based out of Alabama that used their mer-baby dolls as a front for smuggling drugs. Faidley says her daughter is now 10 and remembers her mer-baby well.

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reprinted from Daylight Atheism, Syndicated by PeaceVoice) Long ago, when I was a congressional press secretary, Jennings Randolph was a wise senator from West Virginia. On his Washington desk, he kept a motto I never forgot: "The most important lesson you can learn is that other people are as real behind their eyes as you are behind yours." That nugget of insight has deep implications, asserting that nearly everyone in the world all seven billion-plus of them more or less share the same human feelings, fears, wants, hopes, questions, frustrations, pleasures and the like. This, to me, is the heart of humanism: recognizing the worth of everyone, and striving to make life as good as possible for the whole populace. Humanism means helping people, and secular humanism means doing it without supernatural religion. It began as long ago in ancient Greece, when some thinkers advocated humanitas, a helpful spirit toward all. During the Renaissance, a few scholar-priests began caring more for people than for the church, so they became religious humanists. Then came the Enlightenment, when rebel thinkers challenged the supremacy of kings and holy men. They laid the groundwork for modern democracy, which is rooted in humanism. Various manifestos have been written to crystallize the need for intelligent people to support human betterment. In 1933, the first Humanist Manifesto was signed by three dozen philosophers, Unitarians, reformers and scholars, including John Dewey. It called humanism a new "religion" to replace magic-based supernatural faiths. Next Page 1 | 2

reprinted from the Charleston Gazette-Mail If you study history, you'll see episodes that changed civilization. For example, in ancient Greece, for the first time, bright thinkers sought natural explanations for the world around them, instead of believing that phenomena were caused by gods and spirits. This started the science-versus-religion clash that still roils 25 centuries later. Here's another landmark: Around three centuries ago, major thinkers began advocating democracy, human rights and personal freedoms. Their period became known as The Enlightenment. It launched the long-running liberals-versus-conservatives conflict still driving much of today's politics. Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) wrote that life can be "nasty, brutish and short" unless people bind themselves into a "social contract" under a government that protects them. Hobbes implied that kings don't rule by divine right, and that ultimate authority lies with the citizenry. Bishops tried to have Hobbes executed as an atheist, but Hobbes burned his papers and sometimes hid in exile. John Locke (1632-1704) denied that kings are chosen by God, and recommended the separation of church and state to prevent faith-based wars and massacres. An early advocate of democracy, Locke argued that government must rest on consent from the governed. Baron de Montesquieu (1689-1755) proposed a democratic republic with powers split among executive, legislative and judicial branches. Voltaire (1694-1778), a witty French writer, was thrown in prison for mocking a regent -- then emerged to become a lifelong crusader against abuses by ruling nobles and clerics. America's founders -- Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, etc. -- were brilliant radicals who absorbed Enlightenment ideas and incorporated them into the first modern democracy. Less-known founder George Mason insisted on a Bill of Rights to protect each person from government and the tyranny of the majority. The Enlightenment's premise that every individual deserves personal freedoms also spawned The Rights of Man and the Citizen in France, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations, and other moral codes. The Enlightenment not only produced modern democracy; it also laid the foundation of liberal political values still winning victories today. For three centuries, by fits and starts, Western progress has been mostly a chronicle of progressives defeating conservative resistance. Reformers repeatedly toppled old privileges, hierarchies and establishments. Look at the historical record: Conservatives tried to retain slavery, but they lost. They tried to block voting by women, but they lost. They tried to prevent couples from using birth control, but they lost. They tried to obstruct Social Security pensions for oldsters, but they lost. They tried to outlaw labor unions, but they lost. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3

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Technique allowed the tech giant to delay paying US taxes on international earnings for years, and pay a lower tax rate overseas Google says it will no longer use 'Double Irish, Dutch sandwich' tax loophole International tax authorities were welcoming in the New Year after Google’s parent company, Alphabet, announced it will no longer use a notorious tax loophole known as the “Double Irish, Dutch sandwich”. The technique allowed the tech giant to delay paying US taxes on international earnings for years, and pay a lower tax rate overseas. It is thought to have allowed American companies to cut their tax bills by hundreds of billions of dollars, but is finally being closed by authorities. A Google spokesman confirmed the company would scrap the intellectual property licensing structure, by which international profits are channelled through Ireland and on to Caribbean tax havens, putting them outside the reach of US tax authorities. This will simplify Google’s tax arrangements in line with efforts by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to limit international tax avoidance, following changes to US and Irish tax law. It is estimated that by the end of 2017, some of America’s most profitable companies, including Apple, the largest by market capitalisation, had sequestered more than $1tn offshore, using the “double Irish” to park billions in “ghost companies”. Companies including Google, Cisco, Pfizer, Merck, Coca-Cola and Facebook all avoided a 35% US corporate tax rate, which has now been cut by Donald Trump. Like other multinationals that make use of tax minimization schemes, Google has always said it pays all its taxes. Appearing before a US Senate subcommittee in 2013, Apple chief executive Tim Cook claimed the company paid “all the taxes we owe, every single dollar”. “We don’t depend on tax gimmicks,” he added. “We don’t stash money on some Caribbean island.” But five months later, under pressure from the European Union and the Trump administration, Irish officials began to crack down on the loop hole. In 2017, US authorities gave companies until the end of 2020 to end the system. Google now appears to have acted. In a statement, it said it was reacting to changes in US tax law designed to limit the ability of companies to cut their US tax bills. For more than a decade, Dutch, Irish and US tax law allowed Google to enjoy an effective tax rate in the single digits on non-US profits, estimated at around a quarter the average tax rate in overseas markets. Filings seen by Reuters showed that in 2018 Google moved €21.8bn ($24.5bn) through its Dutch holding company to Bermuda, up from €19.9bn in 2017. “A date of termination of the company’s licensing activities has not yet been confirmed by senior leadership, however management expects that this termination will take place as of 31 December 2019 or during 2020,” the filing with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce said. “Consequently, the company’s turnover and associated expense base generated from licensing activities will discontinue as of this date.” Under the Double Irish, companies shift taxable income from an operating company in Ireland to another Irish-registered firm in an offshore tax haven. Dutch tax law allows untaxed profits to be moved to a tax haven without incurring a withholding tax, so a Netherlands-based company is used in the middle of this “sandwich”. The Dutch Google subsidiary was used to shift revenue from royalties earned outside the US to Google Ireland Holdings, an affiliate based in Bermuda, where companies pay no income tax. This allowed Google to legally avoid triggering US income taxes or European withholding taxes on the bulk of its overseas profits. “Including all annual and one-time income taxes over the past 10 years, our global effective tax rate has been over 23%, with more than 80% of that tax due in the US,” the company stated in the Dutch filing. After Donald Trump’s tax reforms dropping the tax rate to 15.5% from 35% came into effect in early 2018, Apple announced plans to repatriate $252bn in cash over five years. But despite the end of the “Double Irish” and “Dutch Sandwich”, tax experts warn that little is known about how specific companies have adjusted their tax arrangements. “Based on what we have been able to see in the past, there is no reason to think that planning [by multinationals] hasn’t already evolved several generations beyond the kind of classic ‘Double Irish’ that is now officially coming to an end,” Chris Sanchirico, a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania, told the Financial Times. In 2017 the Guardian and other outlets reported on the Paradise Papers, a huge trove of confidential documents regarding offshore investments. The reports revealed that Apple, for example, had found a new tax structure to exploit, routing international profits through Jersey. “US multinational firms are the global grandmasters of tax avoidance schemes that deplete not just US tax collection but the tax collection of almost every large economy in the world,” Ed Kleinbard, a former corporate lawyer and now a professor of tax law at the University of Southern California, said at the time.

The era of Google using a pair of controversial loopholes to save billions of dollars in taxes on overseas ad revenue is coming to a close, according to a new report from Reuters. In 2020, the company will no longer take advantage of the so-called “Double Irish” and “Dutch sandwich” loopholes, which allowed it and countless other corporations to shift money from Ireland to the Netherlands and Bermuda, sheltering billions from taxes in the process. The move comes as regulations aimed at changing how companies skirt taxes take effect in both the US and Ireland. Previously, multinational organizations like Google were able to use a network of affiliate organizations located in Ireland, the Netherlands, and Bermuda to collect and hold money made overseas, thanks in large part to lenient Irish tax laws. Google used companies in Ireland, the Netherlands, and Bermuda to collect and hold money earned overseas The name comes from the strategy of moving money from an Irish subsidiary to a Dutch holding company, and then back to an Irish shell company located in Bermuda that has the rights to license Google intellectual property, thus the “Dutch sandwich” in between. Bermuda has no corporate income tax, making it a lucrative final stop to report income. The whole process effectively avoids paying US income tax and European withholding taxes on overseas profits, although some money is still paid to the Irish government. In 2014, facing mounting pressure from the EU and the US, Ireland closed these loopholes. Companies were given until 2020 to comply with the new regulations, which is why Google is just changing its tax structure now. Google continued to use the tax scheme to funnel money around the globe until the deadline. According to Reuters, the company moved $23 billion to Bermuda in 2017 alone using this tax avoidance strategy. In the US, the Trump administration has also tried to incentivize companies to return profits to the US by lowering the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2018 allowed companies to return money made overseas to the US without facing more US taxes. These changes could prove critical for Google, which is sitting on tens of billions in overseas earnings. “We’re now simplifying our corporate structure and will license our IP from the US, not Bermuda,” a Google spokesperson told The Verge. “Including all annual and one-time income taxes over the past ten years, our global effective tax rate has been over 23%, with more than 80% of that tax due in the US.”

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Update - Search for Petr Mandik Police have located and recovered a body believed to be that of 50-year-old Petr Mandik. Mr Mandik was last seen travelling to Mount Cook National Park on Friday 13 December. While formal identification is yet to take place, Police believe the body to be that of Mr Mandik. The body was located at the bottom of the Haast Ridge yesterday afternoon, December 31, where it was then recovered. We extend our condolences to his family. The matter will be referred to the Coroner. © Scoop Media

Don’t spread invasive freshwater pests this summer Gisborne District Council and Biosecurity New Zealand are reminding everyone who visits rivers, lakes and streams this summer to check, clean and dry their gear when they move between waterways. “Checking, cleaning and drying your gear between waterways stops the spread of invasive freshwater pests, such as didymo, hornwort, pest fish and oxygen weed,” says Gisborne’s Check Clean Dry advocate, Teegan Maxwell. Ms Maxwell says freshwater pests pose a serious threat to all rivers, streams and lakes in the Gisborne Wairoa area. “If pests get into our waterways they are just about impossible to get rid of, they cost a fortune to manage and can ruin beautiful water ways and habitat for native species. Some freshwater pests, like didymo, are microscopic and can be spread in a single drop of water. Even if you can’t see the danger you could be spreading it,” she said. Ms Maxwell recommends people follow the simple Check-Clean-Dry process before leaving any waterway: • Check all gear that touched water and leave behind any weed or debris. • Clean gear with a simple solution of 5% dishwashing liquid (one tablespoon per 250mls of water). The solution can be tipped into anchor wells, bilge areas, kayak hulls and sprayed onto wet surfaces and fishing gear. Absorbent materials, such as lifejackets, wetsuits, booties and tramping boots can be soaked for several minutes • Dry gear inside and out for at least 24 hours before visiting another waterway. “Following these simple procedures will help stop freshwater pests from spreading throughout New Zealand’s waterways. If we all do our bit, we’ll protect our waterways for future generations,” said Ms Maxwell. For more information about didymo and other freshwater pests visit www.mpi.govt.nz/check-clean-dry . To report suspected Didymo or other pests, phone the hotline immediately on 0800 80 99 66. © Scoop Media

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Charging lithium-ion batteries There is only one way to charge lithium-based batteries. The so-called 'miracle chargers', which claim to restore and prolong batteries, do not exist for lithium chemistries. Neither does super-fast charging apply. Manufacturers of lithium-ion cells have very strict guidelines in charge procedures and the pack should be charged as per the manufacturers "typical" charge technique. Lithium-ion is a very clean system and does not need priming as nickel-based batteries do. The 1st charge is no different to the 5th or the 50th charge. Stickers instructing to charge the battery for 8 hours or more for the first time may be a leftover from the nickel battery days. Most cells are charged to 4.20 volts with a tolerance of +/?0.05V/cell. Charging only to 4.10V reduced the capacity by 10% but provides a longer service life. Newer cell are capable of delivering a good cycle count with a charge to 4.20 volts per cell. Figure 1 shows the voltage and current signature as the lithium-ion cell passes through the charge stages. Figure 1: Charge stages of a lithium-ion battery. Increasing the charge current on a lithium-ion charger does not shorten the charge time by much. Although the voltage peak is reached quicker with higher current, the topping charge will take longer.The charge time of most chargers is about 3 hours. Smaller batteries used for cell phones can be charged at 1C; the larger 18650 cell used for laptops should be charged at 0.8C or less. The charge efficiency is 99.9% and the battery remains cool during charge. Full charge is attained after the voltage threshold has been reached and the current has dropped to 3% of the rated current or has leveled off. Increasing the charge current does not shorten the charge time by much. Although the voltage peak is reached quicker with higher charge current, the topping charge will take longer. Some chargers claim to fast-charge a lithium-ion battery in one hour or less. Such a charger eliminates stage 2 and goes directly to 'ready' once the voltage threshold is reached at the end of stage 1. The charge level at this point is about 70%. The topping charge typically takes twice as long as the initial charge. No trickle charge is applied because lithium-ion is unable to absorb overcharge. A continuous trickle charge above 4.05V/cell would causes plating of metallic lithium that could lead to instabilities and compromise safety. Instead, a brief topping charge is provided to compensate for the small self-discharge the battery and its protective circuit consume. Depending on the battery, a topping charge may be repeated once every 20 days. Typically, the charge kicks in when the open terminal voltage drops to 4.05V/cell and turns off at a high 4.20V/cell. What happens if a battery is inadvertently overcharged? lithium-ion is designed to operate safely within their normal operating voltage but become unstable if charged to higher voltages. When charging above 4.30V, the cell causes plating of metallic lithium on the anode; the cathode material becomes an oxidizing agent, loses stability and releases oxygen. Overcharging causes the cell to heat up. If left unattended, the cell could vent with flame. Much attention is focused to avoid over-charging and over-discharging. Commercial lithium ion packs contain a protection circuits that limit the charge voltage to 4.30V/cell, 0.10 volts higher than the voltage threshold of the charger. Temperature sensing disconnects the charge if the cell temperature approaches 90°C (194°F), and a mechanical pressure switch on many cells permanently interrupt the current path if a safe pressure threshold is exceeded. Exceptions are made on some spinel (manganese) packs containing one or two small cells. Extreme low voltage must also be prevented. The safety circuit is designed to cut off the current path if the battery is inadvertently discharged below 2.50V/cell. At this voltage, most circuits render the battery unserviceable and a recharge on a regular charger is not possible. There are several safeguards to prevent excessive discharge. The equipment protects the battery by cutting off when the cell reaches 2.7 to 3.0V/cell. Battery manufacturers ship the batteries with a 40% charge to allow some self-discharge during storage. Advanced batteries contain a wake-up feature in which the protection circuit only starts to draw current after the battery has been activated with a brief charge. This allows prolonged storage. In spite of these preventive measures, over-discharge does occur. Advanced battery analyzers (Cadex C7000 series) feature a 'boost' function that provides a gentle charge current to activate the safety circuit and re-energize the cells if discharged too deeply. A full charge and analysis follows. If the cells have dwelled at 1.5V/cell and lower for a few days, however, a recharge should be avoided. Copper shunts may have formed inside the cells, leading a partial or total electrical short. The cell becomes unstable. Charging such a battery would cause excessive heat and safety could not be assured. Battery experts agree that charging lithium-ion batteries is simpler and more straightforward than the nickel-based cousins. Besides meeting the tight voltage tolerances, the charge circuit can be designed with fewer variables to consider. Full-charge detection by applying voltage limits and observing the current saturations on full charge is simpler than analyzing many complex signatures, which nickel-metal-hydride produces. Charge currents are less critical and can vary. A low current still permits proper full charge detection. The battery simply takes longer to charge. The absence of topping and trickle charge also help in simplifying the charger. Best of all, there is no memory but aging issues are the drawback. The charge process of a lithium-ion-polymer is similar to lithium-ion. These batteries use a gelled electrolyte to improve conductivity. In most cases, lithium-ion and lithium-ion-polymer share the same charger. Preparing new lithium-ion for use Unlike nickel and lead-based batteries, a new lithium-ion pack does not need cycling through charging and discharging. Priming will make little difference because the maximum capacity of lithium-ion is available right from the beginning. Neither does a full discharge improve the capacity of a faded pack. However, a full discharge/charge will reset the digital circuit of a 'smart' battery to improve the state-of-charge estimation State-of-charge reading based on terminal voltage The open circuit voltage can be used to estimate the battery state-of-charge of lithium, alkaline and lead-based batteries. Unfortunately, this method cannot be used for nickel-based packs. On a lithium-ion cell, 3.8V/cell indicates a state-of-charge of about 50%. It must be noted that utilizing voltage as a fuel gauge function is inaccurate because cells made by different manufacturers produce a slightly different voltage profile. This is due to the electrochemistry of the electrodes and electrolyte. Temperature also affects the voltage. The higher the temperature, the lower the voltage will be. Hints to long battery life Limit the time at which the battery stays at 4.20/cell. Prolonged high voltage promotes corrosion, especially at elevated temperatures. (Spinel is less sensitive to high voltage than cobalt-based systems). 3.92V/cell is the best upper voltage threshold for cobalt-based lithium-ion. Charging batteries to this voltage level has been shown to double cycle life. Lithium-ion systems for defense applications make use of the lower voltage threshold. The negative is reduced capacity. The charge current of Li-ion should be moderate (0.5C for cobalt-based lithium-ion). The lower charge current reduces the time in which the cell resides at 4.20V. It should be noted that a 0.5C charge only adds marginally to the charge time over 1C because the topping charge will be shorter. A high current charge tends to push the voltage up and forces it into the voltage limit prematurely.

Texting and driving in Florida: Details on fines, violations, golf carts, things NOT to do Show Caption Hide Caption It's Not Just The Cops Who'll Get You For Texting While Driving Car insurance companies have taken notice, and their penalties for texting and talking while driving include massive insurance premium increases. Wochit, Wochit OK, picture this: You're driving along and suddenly you get a text message from a friend or relative. What should you do? Well, if you want to avoid a ticket, fines and the "blue light" embarrassment, do NOT text back. Legally, you can read the message (but don't pick up the phone in school zones or active construction zones) or, better yet, have your phone's electronic assistant read it back to you and you reply via voice. Remember, if you use a hands-free device, you must have at least one ear free of an ear bud. CONSIDER SUBSCRIBING TODAY: Help support our local journalism And if you're pulled over, don't immediately hand your phone to the law enforcement officer. Still confused? As Florida's texting and driving law goes into full effect on New Year's Day, here are five things you should know before starting your car and having your cellphone beside you. 1. The grace period ends when the Times Square ball drops, meaning law enforcement agencies can stop you for a primary offense if they spot you texting and driving. However, police officers can only stop a driver for texting and driving when the car is in motion. Officers cannot stop someone seen texting at a stop light unless you are impeding traffic, which would be a different citation. More: Florida texting/driving law: 10 questions (and answers) you should know 2. The hand-held ban is strictly enforced in school zones and active construction zones; in other words, do NOT even pick up the phone when it rings in those areas (tapping the button is allowed). GPS tracking is allowed but outside these zones, of course. Using the map or Waze app is not against the law. More: Texting and driving law in Florida: Tickets, warnings and common sense 3. Penalties are $30 for the first violation and $60 for subsequent violations (within five years) plus three points on your record. Expect those fines to exceed $100 and $150, respectively, once taxes, court costs and county-regulated surcharges are added. More: Florida texting and driving law: Why your $30 ticket becomes way more expensive 4. It is important to know you do not have to give up your phone to the officer; it is their responsibility to prove you were texting, or they can get a court-ordered subpoena. More: Texting and driving in Florida: No more warnings, and that includes 'golf cart' drivers, too 5. And, yes, even golf cart riders, those in registered, street-legal low-speed vehicles on city streets, can face the same consequences as automobile drivers if caught texting. More: Florida texting and driving laws: How do we compare with other states? Contact Grossman at 321-242-3676 or hgrossman@floridatoday.com. Follow Hillard on Twitter at @hillardgrossman Support local journalism: Subscribe to FLORIDA TODAY at floridatoday.com/subscribe.

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We look back at the top stories of 2019, as we look ahead into the next year. It was a remarkable year for Qatar and a year of storylines that rocked us with some amazing achievements. So join us by clicking the play button to have a look at the top highlights of this year. From all of us at ILQ to all of you, we hope this 2020 brings you continued joy, health, and happiness! What milestone of 2019 holds the best memories for you? Drop us a line in the comments below and don't forget to give us a like and a share - you know it keeps us going! Edited by Afroon Afeez

Actress Ayeza Khan, who was recently embroiled in controversy for playing an infamous character in drama serial ‘Mere Pass Tum Ho,’ has said that as a wife and as a mother and especially as an actress she has accomplished a lot in 2019. Ayeza Khan took to Instagram sharing photos from 2019, and extended New Year wishes to fans and followers. She wrote, “I have accomplished a lot this year; As a wife, as a mother and especially as an actress. For all that, I thank Allah and only Allah. Unexpected miracles happened this year in my favor. At times, it felt like I was helpless and was down but every time God helped get back up and always got me the best endings. I don’t know what the next year will bring but because of Hajj, my faith in God has led me to believe that no matter what happens, the endings will always be in my favor. So thank Him and have faith even if you are in the most difficult time of your life. God never wants bad for you, and after every bad comes good.” She went on to say, “I am ready for the next year, the next decade.” Ayeza Khan also extended new year wishes to her fans writing, “Happy 2020!”

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Without fail, Netflix has become my winding down after a long workday ritual — and while the streaming-induced trance is pleasant at the moment, my bad habit has had an overall negative effect on my well-being. My daily binging has manifested itself into a less productive, less healthy (due to snacking and late nights), and less happy lifestyle. So, I've decided to press pause on my Parks and Recreation marathon and deep-dive into some self-care books post nine-to-five. Instead of catching up with Leslie Knope and the Pawnee gang, I'm investing my time in myself with the following self-help reads. Each will supply me with the tools to live an all-around better life — starting with how I feel about myself.

when you use your indicator levers - there's an audible ticking sound. This ticking sound increases if you need your bulbs changed , or if there is faulty wiring etc... anyway I was just wondering how that ticking sound is made? Does it emanate from speakers behind the dash or is there some kind of physical device inside that ticks? I know this question sounds daft but I'm serious, have always wondered an cannot be bothered to google it thanks

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Yes, we're about to remind you of the Kentucky Derby disqualification, and racing's safety issues can't be ignored. But what else ranks among racing's top moments in 2019? We asked our writers about what they'll remember most. RELATED: Top 8 races and top 7 stories in 2019 And how about yours? Let us know in the comments... Bee Buck: Winx goes out a winner The amazing mare Winx finished her career in April of 2019 with a staggering 33-race winning streak in tact. The racing world hadn’t seen the likes of it, with the farewell race Randwick’s Queen Elizabeth Stakes. In typical Winx fashion, it was an event she’d won before, and Australian fans packed the place, there to send her off in style. There may never be another like her, now the world’s Grade/Group 1 wins record holder as she begins her next career as a broodmare. Those will be some highly anticipated foals, with the first one by, appropriately, I Am Invincible. Candice Curtis: California Chrome sold Nov. 20, 2019, is a day no “Chrome” will forget. That’s when news broke that California Chrome, two-time Horse of the Year and 2014 Kentucky Derby winner, had been sold to Japanese interests for stud duty. Reaction was swift and ugly, as I don't think anyone involved with the horse imagined what vitriol would come their way with this decision. The troubling part to me is not that anything untoward will happen to our beloved Chrome, but that so many American fans have such a hatred for people who are different. Let's hope that in 2020, Chrome can be a bridge to understanding between cultures. After all, we already have one big thing in common: our love of racing. Ryan Dickey: Brown sweeps Arlington Million day Trainer Chad Brown, hardly a stranger to winning major turf races, took them all on Arlington Million day, sweeping four graded events on the card. Sistercharlie carried her winning streak to five Grade 1 races when she captured the Beverly D. (G1); 3-year-old Valid Point took the Secretariat (G1); Bricks and Mortar reigned in the Arlington Million (G1); and Cafe Americano wrapped things up in the Pucker Up (G3). The four Brown graded stakes winners earned a combined $1,285,800 on the day. His Arlington Million winner went on to take the Breeders’ Cup Turf, making him the Horse of the Year favorite, and his Beverly D. heroine’s under consideration for her second straight championship as top turf female. Jarrod Horak: Michael Dickinson speaks up Racetrack safety has been the top story in thoroughbred racing since the well-documented problems at Santa Anita Park earlier this year. Dirt surfaces have been under increased scrutiny, and Michael Dickinson, renowned trainer and president of Tapeta Footings, did not mince words at the University of Arizona's Global Symposium on Racing on Dec. 10. "The revolution against dirt has already started, but some of you haven't recognized it yet," he told the audience. Synthetic surfaces are proven to be safer than conventional dirt, and safety should be the No. 1 concern for everyone involved in the thoroughbred industry. Synthetic surfaces are not the only answer, and we should keep an open mind in regards to racetrack safely. We can always do better and should not be afraid of change. If 2019 proved anything, it’s that the days of kicking the can down the road are over. Jonathan Lintner: The Kentucky Derby DQ Oh boy. It’s the singular moment for which 2019 will be remembered — on the racetrack, at least — with stewards’ 20-plus minutes of deliberations in taking down Maximum Security an unprecedented move. Not before this year had a Derby winner been disqualified for interference, with Maximum Security having veered out through the far turn at Churchill Downs. After all the conversation over the DQ’s merits, the outcome seems to have redefined only one horse. Maximum Security is a likely champion and War of Will went on to win the Preakness Stakes. But as for Country House, he’s become vilified by a sect of racing fans who still don’t support the DQ. Here’s to hoping that colt — who ran the race of his life to be second across the wire — gets another chance to prove his worth. Reinier Macatangay: Mitole takes over Heading into the Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3) back in April, Mitole sported an impressive 8: 5-2-1 record. But he hadn’t yet attempted any graded stakes races despite a four-race win streak including the Chick Lang and Bachelor Stakes. Those stakes wins came against 3-year-olds in his previous season. Mitole also needed to face an older and battle-tested Whitmore over the slop. But the public trusted Mitole more anyway by making him the 2/5 favorite. Luckily for chalk players, Mitole answered all questions. Mitole secured the lead early on with Whitmore flanking him in second, giving both horses a fair chance. Whitmore challenged for the lead around the turn and even put his head in front, but Mitole fought back in a straight line as Whitmore began to wobble and fade slightly in the stretch. Mitole won by 2 ¾ lengths. For the win, Mitole earned career-best figures. It was also a passing of the torch moment in the sprint division, as Mitole went on to complete a fantastic year with wins in the Churchill Downs Stakes (G1), Metropolitan Handicap (G1), Forego Stakes (G1) and Breeders' Cup Sprint, while Whitmore still seeks another win. Mary Dixon Reynolds: The Industry unites This will go down in the annals as a turbulent time in the history of Thoroughbred horser acing. Santa Anita, with a mostly consistent climate, counts an unseasonably rainy winter among the myriad factors that led to a spate of catastrophic injuries in southern California. They also led the industry to do some self examination with its safety protocols and reforms, culminating on Nov. 19 when organizations such as NYRA, Churchill Downs and the Breeders’ Cup representing 85% of graded stakes in the U.S. came together to form the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition. The industry-led effort seeks to enhance protections that already existed and to develop new reforms to ensure racing’s future. Without healthy horses and humans, there would be no sport, after all. Those behind federal legislation called the Horseracing Integrity Act want to see the government maintain drug testing and oversight. That could happen in due time, and the Coalition has some supporters of the Integrity Act. But the Coalition is also an earlier step in the right direction seeing these major organization on the same side of the table to promote the well-being of the athletes. Victor Ryan: Omaha Beach wins off the bench Asking Omaha Beach to dust himself off from the rigors of the Triple Crown trail and return nearly six months later to beat one of the fastest racehorses in the land seemed an impossible task. Yet that's precisely what I witnessed on Oct. 5 when gathered along the finish line with my media brethren. Omaha Beach surged in the final strides to best the eastern invader and heavy 2-5 favorite Shancelot by a head in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G1). The experience displayed just what is possible when a Hall of Fame trainer like Richard Mandella can partner with a Hall of Fame-caliber racehorse like Omaha Beach. As this 3-year-old colt leaves the racetrack much too soon — next month’s Pegasus World Cup (G1) at Gulfstream Park will be his final start — the memory of the 2019 Santa Anita Sprint Championship won’t be easily forgotten.

Chad Brown Trainer Chad Brown notched his fifth consecutive New York Racing Association year-end training title, jockey Manny Franco won his second consecutive riding crown, and Klaravich Stables led all owners on the circuit as racing concluded for 2019 following Tuesday's card at Aqueduct Racetrack. Brown, who has won three consecutive Eclipse Awards for Outstanding Trainer from 2016-18, saddled 142 winners at NYRA tracks, which encompasses Belmont Park, Saratoga Race Course and Aqueduct, for earnings of more than $15.67 million. The 41-year-old Brown has paced NYRA trainers on every NYRA year-end standings list since 2015. For 2019, he finished 36 wins better than the next closest competitor in Linda Rice, who was the only other training to finish with triple-digit wins [106]. Brown's horses finished with a 142-108-97 record in 552 starts for a winning percentage of 25.72. His horses finished top-three in an impressive 62.86 percent of starts. His earnings exceeded his 2018 total of $15.62 million for the most he's compiled in one year on the NYRA circuit. Brown won four individual meet titles, capturing both the Aqueduct and Belmont fall meets, along with his second straight H. Allen Jerkens award [and third overall] for leading Saratoga trainer, as well as pacing the Belmont spring/summer meet. Among Brown's many accolades was posting eight of his 20 Grade 1 wins at NYRA tracks, improving on the seven Grade 1 wins his horses recorded on the circuit in 2018. Sistercharlie had two of those wins in the Diana and Flower Bowl Invitational, while Guarana also picked up two with the Coaching Club American Oaks and the Acorn. Leading Horse of the Year contender Bricks and Mortar, a perfect 6-for-6 this year with five Grade 1 triumphs, won the Manhattan on Belmont Stakes Day, June 8, at Belmont Park, while Annals of Time was victorious in the Sword Dancer on Travers Day, August 24, at the Spa. Brown also saddled Rushing Fall, winner of the Longines Just a Game, and Dunbar Road, who gave him his first career win in the Alabama. Franco, who earned the first two NYRA meet titles of his career during 2018, again came out on top in a pair of individual meets in 2019, winning the Aqueduct and Belmont fall slates. For the year, the Carolina, Puerto Rico native won 212 races from 1,274 mounts with earnings of more than $14.6 million. Franco was the 2018 year-end leading rider when he captured 244 races, giving him a two-year total of 456 at NYRA tracks. Franco was one of just two riders to crack the 200-win plateau on the year, besting second-place finisher Lezcano [208 victories] by four for the top spot. Three of Franco's four Grade 1 wins come in the Big Apple, including Tiz the Law in the Champagne, and World of Trouble in the Carter Handicap and the Jaipur Invitational. His lone non-New York Grade 1 win was aboard Sharing in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in November at Santa Anita. “I'm very thankful. I have to thank all the trainers and owners for putting me on these good horses, as well as my agent [Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero, Jr.], who has also helped me a lot during my career and especially this year,” Franco said. “It's a big accomplishment I just want to continue to ride and do well.” Klaravich Stables went 57-46-31 with 196 starters to lead all owners, finishing with earnings of more than $5.18 million. Headed by Seth Klarman, the stable won at least a share of five of the six NYRA individual meets in 2019. Klaravich won the Belmont fall and spring/summer outright, as well as Saratoga, while tying Repole and Drawing Away Stable for the Aqueduct Spring and sharing the Aqueduct fall with Drawing Away Stable. Michael Dubb, who finished atop the year-end owner standings from 2014-18, was second with 50 wins. Live racing resumes Wednesday, New Year's Day, at the Big A with an eight-race card highlighted by the $150,000 Jerome in Race 7 for newly turned 3-year-olds. The one-mile contest will offer 10-4-2-1 qualifying points to the top-four finishers towards the Kentucky Derby. First post is 12:50 p.m. Eastern. New to the Paulick Report? Click here to sign up for our daily email newsletter to keep up on this and other stories happening in the Thoroughbred industry. Copyright © 2020 Paulick Report.

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Kublalsingh, stop seeing just the mud THE EDITOR: I note with concern the public utterings of people like Dr Wayne Kublalsingh, which seem to be always or predominantly negative, with no positive comments or suggestions and, worse, actions initiated by them. I learnt many years ago from the saying, “Two men stood behind prison bars. One saw mud the other stars.” Those of you who know me or of me know that I have spent my life seeing and pointing out what needs to be corrected to make us a better country, and not just making suggestions for corrections and improvements but also putting my money where my mouth is and setting an example by doing. I give you two examples: * In May 1989 the economy and the oil industry were in shambles from the oil price crash of October 1986. Together with the South Chamber of Commerce and my colleagues I co-hosted an energy conference promoting the concept of lease operatorships and farmouts being granted to a new breed, ie, independent oil producers. The message was listened to and acted upon. Soon after Trintopec offered ten lease operatorship blocks and four farmouts. The rest is history. Today we the independent producers produce over 10,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd). Incidentally, I set the example by becoming the first modern local independent E&P company. * Ten years ago I recognised that we were one of the highest emitters of carbon dioxide per capita in the world. I not only pointed this out, but starting promoting the concept of using that CO2 for enhanced oil recovery and thereby sequestering it. I indicated that done on a large enough scale most of our CO2 can be sequestered and our oil production could be increased by 100,000 bopd. In addition, I started a (successful) pilot CO2/EOR programme which is now being expanded field-wide. As we go into a new year, I would like to suggest to those people like Kublalsingh who only seem to see the mud, that while I agree that there is lots of mud out there, to look at the stars, suggest positive changes and equally importantly, set an example by doing something constructive yourselves. If you do, you will be helping to make our country a better place. KRISHNA PERSAD petroleum consultant

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Another year has come to an end in Franklin County. Here's hoping that everyone has had a fun (and safe!) New Year. In what has become an annual tradition, the Daily Bulldog takes a look back at some of the stories that drew the highest traffic over the past 12 months. Each story, ranging from important to trivial, heart-breaking to heart-warming, drew the most visits over a month-long period through either one or multiple appearances in Bulldog articles. January - Barclaycard announces closure of Wilton call center Barclaycard announced on Jan. 8 that its center would close in March, impacting 227 employees. Barclaycard opened at the Wilton location in 2008, leasing space in the former G.H. Bass shoe facility on the Weld Road. Serving as a customer service center for the company's co-branded credit cards - until July 2018, L.L. Bean was one of Barclays' many partners - the local center previously employed up to 500 people. The call center was the beneficiary of a $5 million renovation project that was completed in 2015, improving and adding new work areas and expanding its workforce from 350 to roughly 500. The center has since been repurposed as a home for LEAP Inc., following September's explosion at that nonprofit's building on the Farmington Falls Road. February - High winds down communication tower on Sugarloaf High winds dropped a tower on top of Sugarloaf in late February, forcing first responders in the northern part of the county to temporarily rely on alternate means of communications until another antenna could be installed. No one was hurt in the collapse, as the tower and accompanying building was unmanned and Sugarloaf's summit was closed at the time. March - Farmington voters oppose NECEC project Few issues in Franklin County in 2019 drew more attention than the proposed New England Clean Energy Connect transmission line. One manifestation of that debate was a series of town meeting votes aimed at rescinding previously-issued declarations of support for the project by selectboards; Farmington's was held in late March. Despite support from Governor Janet Mills, who attended the meeting, residents voted 262 to 102 to have selectmen rescind their support and instead take a position in opposition to the project. Since March, the NECEC project has gone through state approval processes; planners hope to begin construction this year. Those in opposition to the project have been gathering signatures in an effort to hold a statewide referendum on the project. April - Jay man sentenced to 38 years for murder James "Ted" Sweeney, a Jay man convicted of murdering another Jay resident, Wendy Douglass, with a softball bat on Feb. 1, was sentenced to 38 years in prison on April 10. Sweeney and Douglass had been in a roughly 10-year relationship that had ended at some point in mid- to late-July 2017, although Sweeney had been permitted to continue living at Douglass' residence at 5 Jewell Street in Jay. The final year-plus of the relationship had been marked by jealousy and suspicion on the part of Sweeney toward Douglass. That jealousy - unfounded according to all witness testimony - had become "obsessive and extreme," as Justice William Stokes put it in his verdict, that the defendant had apparently installed a game camera to spy on the home's comings and goings, wore disguises and borrowed vehicles to follow Douglass and would talk of little else to some family members. While Stokes agreed with Sweeney's attorneys that Sweeney had serious mental health issues leading up to the murder of Douglass, he found that the Jay man had not lacked substantial capacity to appreciate the wrongfulness of his conduct when he struck Wendy Douglass in the head and face with a bat in the early morning hours of July 11, 2017. May - The Zen of Lilies Bill Moloney has been growing day lilies for the last 30 years in Farmington. And growing is putting it mildly. He spent years breeding different varieties of the flower - teaching himself how to manually pollinate, track and store the Hemerocallis. He does everything by hand: the rototilling, weeding, planting and mowing, as well as the rock, drift wood and plant collecting, and all the upkeep on his home. The work gives him a focus he said, and represents a piece of him that he will someday pass to his children or grandchildren. Nothing that Moloney makes or grows is sold for a profit. Occasionally he'll trade things with friends, but he prefers to just give them away. Just like the pieces of pottery found on the banks of the Sandy River, or the hundreds of unique rocks that Moloney has collected over time, the zen moments have found their shelf in his life too, and along with them the lessons that have shaped Moloney's days. "We verify our stories by what we see and what we believe we see, but we need to be more aware. We need to be less controlled by our stories and the narrowness of them. I know this, but I don't know how to employ it," he said. "If you're not a bird watcher, you won't see the bluebirds." June - Fire at Edgewood sends residents to Mt. Blue High School More than 40 residents of Edgewood Rehabilitation & Living Center were transported to Mt. Blue High School on June 16, after a fire spread through the attic of the building. The midday fire drew more than 70 firefighters as well as a number of other first responders to 228 Fairbanks Road. Edgewood employees and first responders worked to evacuate the building of residents, who were then transported to MBHS by Regional School Unit 9 buses. Chief Terry Bell later said that the fire was believe to have originated in a ceiling light/fan unit. The building's sprinkler system activated, preventing the fire from spreading quickly. Food and medical supplies were stockpiled at MBHS for the residents, who then went home with their families or to other local living centers. July - Three injured after car crashes, burns in Farmington Car crashes consistently draw high traffic on the Daily Bulldog. This one, on July 23 on the Morrison Hill Road in Farmington, resulted in the destruction of a 2003 Subaru and injuries to three, 17-year-olds. Police say the vehicle went around a corner on the Morrison Hill Road at a high rate of speed and lost control, striking a boulder on the left side of the road and going into the ditch. It then rolled back across the road to the right side, ending up on its roof. August - Mardi Gras parade rolls down Main Street for Blueberry Festival Another consistently high traffic story, the annual Blueberry Festival Parade rolled through downtown Wilton with a Mardi Gras theme in early August. Blueberry Festival, held during the first weekend of August, features days of activities and events, including the popular parade, billed as the state's longest. September - Explosion kills Farmington firefighter, injures others The year's biggest story was also its most tragic. The Sept. 16 explosion at the LEAP Inc. building on the Farmington Falls Road killed Capt. Michael Bell and injured several other firefighters that were responding to a report of a gas smell inside the building. Also injured was LEAP maintenance supervisor Larry Lord, a Jay resident who has been called a hero by local officials for his role in evacuating the building of his fellow employees prior to the explosion. The blast resulted in an outpouring of support from within and beyond the community to support the firefighters, Lord and roughly 30 residents displaced from their homes by the blast. All six firefighters injured in the explosion were later released from the hospital; Lord continues to receive treatment at Mass General in Boston. According to information previously released by the State Fire Marshal's Office, a leak in a buried fuel line enabled propane to leak into the two-story building. A large, external tank had been filled with nearly 400 gallons on Sept. 13, but was reportedly empty when it was checked by LEAP employees on Sept. 16. Investigators have not indicated what caused the leak in the line or what sparked the explosion. October - Eustis man killed in hunting accident A Eustis man was killed in October after he unintentionally shot himself in the leg while bird hunting on a remote logging road. It was the first hunting incident of the year, according to the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. MDIFW spokesperson Matt Latti said that the Franklin County Regional Communications Center took a call from Mark Henderson, 57 of Eustis, at 5:56 p.m. Tuesday evening. Henderson told dispatchers that he had unintentionally shot himself in the lower left leg while bird hunting on a remote logging road near the northwest shore of Flagstaff Lake in Flagstaff Township. Game wardens, Maine State Police, U.S. Border Patrol and NorthStar EMS all responded to the area and began searching logging roads for Henderson. At 7:06 p.m., Warden Kyle Hladik located Henderson near his truck. The warden began administering CPR to Henderson and loaded him into his truck. A state trooper drove the warden's truck to meet an ambulance at the Big Eddy Road as Hladik and another trooper continued CPR. Emergency medical personnel administered care to Henderson for approximately 40 minutes before he died due to his injuries, Latti said. There are nearly 215,000 licensed hunters in Maine, Latti noted. Over the last 10 years, Maine has averaged six hunting incidents per year, with three fatal incidents over that 10-year period. November - Local man recovering after heart transplant surgery Tom Sawyer, a longtime banker and Chesterville resident, underwent a successful heart transplant procedure at Massachusetts General Hospital in November. Sawyer is a well-known member of the community, having spent 42 years as an employee of Franklin Savings Bank and participated in a number of different fundraising events. Those activities came to a halt on Aug. 11, after Sawyer suffered a heart attack at his residence. According to Camillia Yeaton, a family friend, Sawyer has been hospitalized since that incident, his first heart attack. He was taken to Franklin Memorial Hospital, then Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. Then, on Aug. 16, Sawyer suffered a second heart attack. He was transferred to Mass General for heart surgery, at which point two mechanical pumps were placed in his chest. Sawyer began working to regain his strength and prepare for the possibility of a heart transplant. Sawyer was placed on the heart transport list on Nov. 11. On Nov. 16, according to Yeaton, he went through the 9.5 hour-long surgery that concluded with Sawyer getting a new heart. "Tom has made a miraculous recovery but he has a long road ahead," Yeaton said. December - Chester Greenwood Day brings the holidays to the Farmington downtown Jugglers, Grinches and suffragists marched through the downtown Saturday in honor of 43rd annual Chester Greenwood Day, kicking off a full day of events. The day is a celebration of Greenwood, a 19th century Farmington native and inventor who is credited with inventing the earmuff. The State of Maine declared Dec. 21 to be Chester Greenwood Day in 1977. In Farmington, organizers would later hold the parade and other events on the first Saturday of the month; that day falls closer to Greenwood's birthday of Dec. 4, and also allows attendees a better chance at warm weather. That gambit was only partially successful this year; while the sun was up it was quite cool in the downtown Saturday. The cold temperatures did nothing to deter a large crowd from cheering on their favorite floats, all themed as a favorite storybook. This led to the Hungry Caterpillar, the Little Old Lady and her Shoe and, like, five Grinches sauntering through the light dusting of snow that fell last night. A new addition this year, created through a team-up by members of the Farmington Historical Society and the Farmington Grange, featured people marching in 19th Century costume. Meeting since August to sew skirts, blouses, hats and banners, the marchers were marking both Isabel Greenwood's work as a suffragist as well as the 100th anniversary of the women's suffrage movement, which will take place next year. The parade is organized by the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce. Top opinion stories (by traffic) 1. Al Diamon - "The dealers behind the deal" - link here 2. Al Diamon - "Mills strikes out" - link here 3. Ryan Whitt, MD - "In support of vaccination and LD 798" - link here Top art stories (by traffic) 1. UMF student publishes second book - link here 2. The Nutcracker Ballet comes to Farmington - link here 3. Words on Words: Campfires along the Allagash & other Maine Rivers - link here Top happenings stories (by traffic) 1. Wilton Fish & Game Association offers basic hand gun training course - link here 2. Evidence of an Amesokanti village found in Farmington Falls - link here 3. Hank Lunn to present ‘German Prisoners of War in Maine’ on April 28 - link here Top business stories (by traffic) 1. Nurse earns certification in emergency nursing - link here 2. Power Plant open in Wilton - link here 3. Wilson Stream Family Dentistry announces new ownership - link here

Fort Fairfield kindergartners Tru Smith, Paisley Soucy and Rilynn Beck sport their new sunglasses provided by FAME at the Invest in ME event on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019. (Nina Mahaleris | The Star-Herald) The top news stories of 2019 in Presque Isle area of Aroostook: part 2 The following is the second of two articles highlighting some of 2019’s most important and interesting news stories. This article highlights events from July through December. Editor’s Note: The following is the second of two articles highlighting some of 2019’s most important and interesting news stories. This article highlights events from July through December. Highlights from January through June were published on Dec. 25. July Homeless Services of Aroostook began extending its service to more people seeking refuge across Presque Isle and surrounding communities. Shelter staff had previously turned away those who had violent criminal pasts and anger management issues. Now, those individuals will have access to 20 beds sealed off from the rest of the shelter population. The Presque Isle city council voted to reduce the mill rate on July 10, reducing it from 25.82 to 24.99 for 2019. Councilors intended for the reduction in mill rate — which will lower property taxes — to encourage settlement in the Star City. On July 8, the Maine Department of Transportation began a project to fix excessive wheel ruts and pavement wear on Presque Isle Road, which connects Caribou and the Star City. The project, which covered 10.5 total miles, involved milling pavement, bridge work and other infrastructure repairs. A Blaine woman was arrested for the second time in five days on July 22 for allegedly trafficking heroin. Multiple law enforcement agencies converged on Stacy Clayton’s home, where they found a small amount of heroin and multiple firearms. Authorities charged her with trafficking in heroin, possession of heroin and methamphetamine and illegal possession of a gun. The U.S. Border Patrol arrested seven people who had entered the U.S. illegally from Mexico. The group had been pulled over by Maine State Police on July 23 in Bridgewater. Police suspected the driver of being under the influence of alcohol. More than 1,100 Emera Maine customers in central Aroostook County lost power on July 31 due to strong thunderstorms, including heavy rain and gusty wind. Emera Maine said that customers in Caribou, Wade, Washburn, Woodland and Mapleton were affected. August In the early morning hours of Aug. 13, Bobby Nightingale of Presque Isle allegedly shot and killed two men in Castle Hill. Police found 25-year-old Allen Curtis and 51-year-old Roger Ellis fatally shot inside a pickup truck. Nightingale was arrested and charged in October. He pleaded not guilty to all eight charges against him. The Washburn Rotary Club hosted a Vietnam veterans tribute wall during its annual Washburn August Festival Aug. 14-18. A group of local veterans and volunteers gave the wall a motorcycle escort from the University of Maine at Presque Isle to Washburn District Elementary School. The memorial is an 80 percent replica of the primary memorial in Washington, D.C. The state of Maine ordered the Presque Isle Utilities District to find a new way to dispense of its wastewater sludge, after soils from fields used to spread the substance tested above state-regulated levels of “forever chemicals.” Presque Isle Utilities District superintendent Frank Kearney said they planned to phase out the practice of sludge spreading. On Aug. 22, Northern Light A.R. Gould Hospital announced that it would be discontinuing 911 ambulance services to the Presque Isle area beginning in the new year. At the time of the announcement, the hospital served Mapleton, Castle Hill, Chapman, Easton, Limestone, Westfield, Mars Hill, Blaine, Bridgewater, E Plantation and other unorganized territories. September On Sept. 6, the new Presque Isle McDonald’s had its grand opening at 656 Main St. While the new restaurant is located at the same site as the old one, it has several new updates, including seating for 102 customers, a playpen and free Wi-Fi. Police arrested three suspects after a man was shot at a residence on Northern Road in Presque Isle. The man was rushed to Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. Authorities charged Jason Alexander with aggravated reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon and aggravated assault. Mars Hill and Blaine moved forward with the creation of a new community center serving both towns. In July, voters had approved the replacement of the current community center for $2.7 million in a non-binding referendum. The planning is in its preliminary stages, and a binding bond referendum is expected in mid-2020. Presque Isle International Airport received more than $7 million from two separate grants through the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program. The money will help improve operations at the airport, including infrastructure and the runway’s operation during the harsh winter months. The Invest in ME kindergarten program named Fort Fairfield Elementary a “County Champion” school for the 2019-2020 school year. The school, the only one named in Aroostook County, will receive a $500 grant to support kindergarten education initiatives and events. October U.S. Sen. Angus King traveled across The County, meeting and hearing out his constituents on issues affecting residents of Northern Maine. Locations King visited include the Aroostook Agency on Aging and Northern Maine Community College. The Presque Isle Loop bus began services on Oct. 15, offering an avenue for those without access to a vehicle to travel around the Star City. Free for the first 15 days of operation, the bus now costs $3.50 roundtrip. On Oct. 16, the Fort Fairfield City Council voted unanimously to create a full-time fire and EMS service for its town. Since May, the town had relied on the Presque Isle Fire Department and ambulance service for emergency services after not renewing its contract with Northern Light A.R. Gould Hospital. The University of Maine at Presque Isle received a grant from the U.S. Department of Education that will expand its computer science education programs. The college was granted $2.2 million over five years, the largest single grant that it has ever received. The Mark and Emily Turner Memorial Library eliminated overdue book fees, citing new national trends and research. Library director Sonja Eyler said a resolution from the American Libraries Association recommending that late payments be removed at libraries nationwide had influenced the library’s ultimate decision. November The Raymond family of five in Fort Fairfield was displaced from their home after a fire engulfed it on the morning of Nov. 2. The family was able to evacuate away from the flames, which began around 1 a.m. However, they lost their two dogs and one cat in the fire, as well as many of their belongings. Authorities charged an 11-year-old in Fort Fairfield with terrorizing after he allegedly brought a pellet gun to the Fort Fairfield Community Recreation Center. Police were initially called after reports of a juvenile with a handgun. The child was taken into custody and charged before being released to his parents. In the Presque Isle local elections on Nov. 5, voters re-elected two incumbent city councilors and approved two referendums. Chairman of the City Council Mike Chasse and Councilor Jacob Shaw were both re-elected to four-year terms. Voters also approved both ballot measures: a $1.5 million bond for transportation improvements and an alternate manner for those with disabilities to sign petitions. The U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded the Presque Isle Utilities District a $6 million grant and a $9.6 million loan to improve the wastewater treatment center on Dyer Street. Utility workers will use the money to improve infrastructure around the facility, as well as lessen its environmental impact. December The chance for Black Friday deals brought hundreds to the Aroostook Centre Mall on Black Friday on Nov. 29. Both those from Presque Isle and elsewhere came to do their holiday shopping at various stores, the most popular of which was Bath & Body Works. Two were injured when a state plow truck and a sedan collided in Westfield, causing a chain-reaction crash involving two other cars and a delivery truck. The accident, which occurred at 6:30 a.m., prompted police to divert traffic for about an hour on U.S. Route 1. Hundreds in Presque Isle braved the cold to participate in the 30th annual Holiday Light Parade. Several businesses, agencies and nonprofits around the city — as varied as the Presque Isle Fire Department, Uber and the Framework Church — had floats. Financial planning company Thompson Hamel won the top award from parade judges. After much debate with department heads from across the city, the Presque Isle City Department approved the 2020 budget. The new budget is going to cost about the same as the 2019 budget but includes a few additions, including a new deputy chief position on the police force, and a part-time plow driver during the wintertime.

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Brett Forester APTN News Call it the federal government’s New Year’s resolution to do better by Indigenous families. An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families (Bill C-92) kicks into effect today. Passed in June, Bill C-92 reworks the Indigenous child welfare system in Canada. The Quebec government is challenging the bill’s constitutionality. The province argues the legislation infringes on provincial jurisdiction. The challenge looms while advocates and scholars continue raising questions about money, oversight, and vagueness of some of the bill’s language. Assistant Professor and co-lead of the Wahkohtowin Indigenous Law and Governance Lodge at University of Alberta, Hadley Friedland says C-92’s new principles come into force regardless. “They apply to everybody, no matter what anybody does,” she notes. She says she doesn’t think Quebec will win the challenge, but the appeal may encourage provinces to drag their feet implementing it. In November, Manitoba’s minister of families claimed she was still in the dark about what to expect from the new legislation. “We haven’t seen provinces jump up and down and say, ‘Yay we’re going to implement this,’” Friedland remarks. “Because we don’t have good mechanisms for enforcement, if they say, ‘Well we’re not sure what to do. We’re waiting for the results of the Quebec challenge,’ how do we enforce that law? How many resources are going to be needed to apply the law?” Minister of Indigenous Services Marc Miller says that “until Indigenous laws are in place – services to Indigenous children will continue as before. However, every Indigenous child and family services provider will have to apply the basic principles set out in the Act.” “Change will not come overnight,” Miller states. “The only way to achieve this is to continue to work with our partners through this transition period to make sure the law works for First Nations, Inuit and Métis people, and most importantly, for their children.” So what happens now? Friedland worked to raise awareness around and effect changes to C-92. She co-authored a Yellowhead Institute report card on the bill. The authors gave it a C for national standards; an F on funding; and Ds for accountability, jurisdiction, and data collection respectively. She also testified about it before the Senate Standing Committee on Aboriginal Peoples in May. Last week she co-authored an opinion article in the Montreal Gazette arguing Quebec is wrong to challenge the legislation. She says the bill has two parts. The first introduces a new set of what the government calls “national principles” governing the Indigenous child welfare system. The second part relates to the ways in which First Nations, Inuit, and Métis can exercise their inherent jurisdiction over children in their communities. These national principles kick into immediate effect, so the best thing for communities to do now is “really know those national standards and understand what they put in place that is going to be different, or more, than provincial laws,” Friedland says. Judges and social workers will apply the new national principles if, beginning today, an Indigenous community doesn’t have in place its own laws legislating the provision of child and family welfare services. The bill contains a key principle of the “best of interests of the child.” The legislation recognizes the importance of preserving cultural, familial, and territorial connections. The act also mentions the need for “substantive equality” but does not define this term. The second part of the bill deals with jurisdiction. If Indigenous groups wish to exercise their right to inherent jurisdiction, they must negotiate a “coordination agreement” with Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) and the relevant provincial authorities. Section 22 of the new legislation states that Indigenous laws will prevail over federal and provincial laws whenever conflict between them emerges once these co-ordination agreements are in place – that is, unless the Indigenous laws contravene the Constitution, the Human Rights Act, or the best interests of the child. Strengths and weaknesses of the legislation Friedland says the act is a positive response to advocacy work, decades of research, testimony from ‘60s Scoop survivors, and calls from First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children. She calls the recognition of inherent jurisdiction a “huge positive step.” The legislation also addresses the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) fourth call to action which demands the government “enact Aboriginal child-welfare legislation that establishes national standards for Aboriginal child apprehension and custody cases.” But there are critical concerns remaining about money (The bill includes none.), implementation, and oversight. Interpreting the child’s best interests is a sticking point as well. “Throwing in best interests of the child can gut everything positive in this bill,” warns Friedland. “Every single phrase includes this.” That is, any vagueness or uncertainty about what constitutes a child’s best interests may cause problems. “It’s often non-Indigenous decision makers who make that call. Basically, best interests of the child – even with the factors in this act – leave you with almost limitless discretion,” Friedland elaborates. “And time and time again, what we see is judges basing best interests of the child probably on how they grew up. They’re picturing how they grew up and what they found useful, and that’s how they make their decision. They way courts and social workers have applied best interests of the child has just been so harmful to Indigenous children and families.” Friedland also says the bill could leave social workers confused. “There’s been no education. We’ve seen next to nothing come out from the federal government explaining how this is supposed to work. About two days ago Indigenous agencies sent a technical information package. That was sent two or three days ago. Talking to front line social workers, they have no idea what they’re supposed to be doing differently. So that education piece is missing.” Yesterday, Cindy Blackstock – who in the past called C-92 a “colonial Faustian bargain” – suggested a few more New Year’s resolutions for the government. She tweets at the government “to act instead of promise” and to “end the injustice for kids.” New year's reconciliation resolution suggestions for the government. To act instead of promise; to understand that discrimination should not be easier for gov't than equity. End the injustice for kids- implement the Spirit Bear Plan. @JustinTrudeau pic.twitter.com/kp3DVYSUdG — Cindy Blackstock (@cblackst) December 31, 2019 It’s not yet clear how many Indigenous communities already have laws in place to take over child welfare provision, or how many intend to negotiate co-ordination agreements. Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) voiced its opposition to C-92, citing concerns over the principle of best interests as well as a lack of guaranteed funding. “The bill fails to affirm exclusive First Nation jurisdiction over our children and implies that non-Indigenous governments can determine outcomes for Indigenous children,” Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler says in a February press release. “This legislation does recognize the need for children in care to maintain strong connections to their communities, but ultimately it continues to enforce a status quo system that can override First Nation jurisdiction.” In the May, NAN followed up by submitting its concerns to the senate’s Aboriginal peoples committee. The submission again called for money and a “break from the way in which ‘best interest of the child’ has been used in relation to First Nations children, families, and nations.” The House of Commons adopted some, but not all, proposed amendments. bforester@aptn.ca @BrettForester

OTTAWA (Ontario), Unceded Traditional Algonquin Territory (January 1, 2020) — The Minister of Indigenous Services, Marc Miller, issued the following statement today: "Today, Bill C-92, An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families (the Act) comes into force. This new law, co-developed with partners, affirms the rights of Indigenous peoples to determine their laws, policies and practices in relation to Indigenous child and family services and sets out basic principles that must be followed by every person providing services to Indigenous children. The Act demonstrates meaningful implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's Calls to Action, and the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. It will also help advance numerous Calls for Justice made within the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Final Report. This marks a new chapter in Canada's relationship with Indigenous Peoples. It is designed to improve the health and well-being of Indigenous children and youth now, and for generations to come. The new law emphasizes the need for the system to shift from apprehension to prevention, with priority given to services that promote preventive care to support families. It further supports Indigenous children in care by: helping them to stay with their family and community; helping children currently in care to return to their family; ensuring they stay connected with their language, culture and community; and reducing the number of children separated from their families only because of financial, health or housing challenges. Until Indigenous laws are in place — services to Indigenous children will continue as before. However, every Indigenous child and family services provider will have to apply the basic principles set out in the Act. This means, for example, that when an Indigenous child comes into care, child and family services providers will always have to consider: the child's physical and emotional well-being; the importance for that child to have a relationship with his or her family and community; and the opportunity for providing services that maintain a connection to their culture. Change will not come overnight — the only way to achieve this is to continue to work with our partners through this transition period to make sure the law works for First Nations, Inuit and Métis people, and most importantly, for their children." Associated links

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After five years, have increased passenger fares by 1 to 4 paisa across various classes. On the New Year's eve, the announced fare across its network, effective from today, that is January 1, 2020. Which fares will get costlier? Ordinary non-AC, non-suburban fares were increased by 1 paise per km of journey and in mail/express non-AC class, the will be 2 paisa per kilometre. On the other hand, for AC classes the fare will be 4 paisa per kilometre. The fare hike is also applicable to premium trains such as Shatabdi, Rajdhani, Duronto, Vande Bharat, Tejas, Humsafar, Mahamana, Gatimaan and other special trains. Well, for example- in the Delhi-Kolkata Rajdhani, which covers a distance of 1,447 km, the hike at the rate of 4 paise per km will be around Rs 58. Exceptions: Pass holders are spared. The hike will be applicable for only 34 per cent of the travellers on Indian tracks, while looking into the affordability concerns of daily commuters, the restrained from hike for passengers over suburban sections and season ticket holders, which constitute 66 per cent of its total passengers. There will not be any change in the reservation fee and super fast charges and the hike in fares will not be applicable to tickets already booked. The hike will have no effect on catering charges either, officials said. The ‘marginal’ hike is expected to bring in another Rs 2,300 crore to the revenue of the cash-strapped national transporter and the railways said that the additional revenue will be used for the modernisation of the network. Like- augment passenger experience through modernization of coaches and improved station infrastructure. Further, Railways claimed that the burden of 7th Pay Commission on has necessitated rationalization of fares. But is that enough? Listen to this podcast to know more

New Delhi: In a shock to millions of passengers across the country, Indian Railways on Tuesday hiked passenger fares for sleeper class by 2 paise per kilometre and for 3AC, 2AC and AC first class by four paise per kilometre. According to a commercial circular issued on Tuesday, the new fares will come into effect from January 1, 2020. In the circular, the national transporter stated that passenger fares for sleeper class in mail and express trains have been revised by 2 paise per kilometre, while for 3AC, 2AC and AC frist class, fares have been hiked by 4 paise per kilometre. The Railways also increased fares for passenger trains by 1 paisa per kilometre. It also said that the fares of premium trains like Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Humsafar, Vande Bharat, Duranto, Rajya Rani, Mahanama, Gatimaan, Garibrath, Jan Shatabdi, Yuva and Suvidha Express will also be revised to the extent of the above proposed increase in class-wise fares as per the notified fare table. The circular also stated that there will be no change in reservation fees, superfast surcharge etc. It also said the difference of fares on tickets booked before January 1, 2020 will not be collected from the passengers. The increase in passenger fares in sleeper class from New Delhi to Patna for a distance of 997 km means that passengers will now have to shell out approximately Rs 20 more per ticket. For AC coaches, passengers will have to pay Rs 40 more for the same distance.

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ANALYSIS/OPINION: From nearly all accounts, former Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera — reportedly the next head coach of the Washington Redskins — is a fine human being and a heck of a football coach. Josh Norman played for Rivera for four years with the Panthers. The Redskins cornerback was asked Monday what Rivera would bring to the team in terms of culture, and responded, “Everything as you see it today would be different. I’ll say that … because he gets the best out of players.” Panthers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy told The Athletic the arrival of Rivera at Redskins Park will be “the greatest thing in their careers” for Redskins players. Rivera, 57 (he will be 58 on Jan. 7), is a pretty good football coach — a two-time NFL Coach of the Year with a 76-63-1 record with Carolina over nine years, including four playoff appearances, three division titles and a 15-1 season in 2015 that led to an NFC championship and a Super Bowl trip, losing to the Denver Broncos 24-10. “Obviously, he’s a great coach,” Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly said after Rivera was fired last month with a 5-7 record. “He’s given a lot of people a chance in this league. The best part about Coach Rivera is who he is as a person. He genuinely cares about everybody in this locker room — whether you’ve been here for a year, whether you’re an undrafted guy.” He would also not be the most successful coach that owner Dan Snyder hired to change the losing culture of Washington Redskins since he fired Norv Turner near the end of the 2000 season. He’s fourth on that list. Marty Schottenheimer had a record of 192-118-1 with 13 playoff appearances in 20 seasons before he was hired in 2001. Joe Gibbs was hired in 2004 and, well, you know his Hall of Fame resume. Mike Shanahan had a record of 138-86 in 14 years with seven playoff appearances and two Super Bowls in Denver before he arrived at Redskins Park in 2010. Since 2001, the franchise has a record of 124-178-1 — just in case you assume that hiring successful coaches leads to Redskins success. Look, I’m sorry to be the guy at the party blowing out the candles, but any reasonable person would have to have their memory banks wiped clean to believe that hiring Rivera will then translate to the respect and results that Snyder has futilely searched for during his ownership. Redskins Park is the elephant graveyard of the NFL, where careers go to die. A deity like Rivera obviously couldn’t survive in the same building with the Prince of Darkness, so team president Bruce Allen got the official boot all the way out the door Monday, exiled to his multi-million dollar West Coast mansion. Here is part of the statement Snyder issued: “As this season concludes, Bruce Allen has been relieved of his duties as president of the Washington Redskins and is no longer with the organization.” No thanks to Allen, Snyder’s wings and beer guy, for being the owner’s lackey for 10 years. It was a far cry from the departure of the last lackey Snyder had in charge, Vinny Cerrato, who was not officially “relieved” but “resigned.” “We agreed that the franchise needs someone different in this position,” Cerrato said in a statement released by the team. That, too, was a happy day for Redskins fans — not only celebrating the departure of Cerrato but the arrival of the new savior, someone with a name that was spoken in reverential tones among those fans — the late, great Redskins coach George Allen’s son, Bruce. Forgive me, but here’s what I wrote when Allen was hired 10 years ago: “The presence of the likable Allen, who seems very much connected to the passion of Redskins fans, might make the franchise better — depending on who his dance partner is (at that point, Mike Shanahan had not been hired yet as head coach). And then, damn me to hell, I wrote this: “His record as a talent evaluator as general manager of the Raiders and Buccaneers is a mixed bag of success and woeful failures. But now, at least, the dysfunction that permeates Redskin Park might disappear.” Then at least I had a moment of clarity: “Allen’s arrival and Cerrato’s departure might make fans feel better, but his presence is no guarantee the franchise will rise above the mediocrity in which it has wallowed for 10 years now.” Now I am drowning in clarity. And you should be as well. • Hear Thom Loverro on 106.7 The Fan Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings and on the Kevin Sheehan podcast Tuesdays and Thursdays. Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters Copyright © 2020 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

Washington hired Ron Rivera as their coach on Wednesday in owner Dan Snyder's latest step to try to turn around the wayward franchise. The team announced the move two days after Snyder fired president Bruce Allen. The former Carolina Panthers coach quickly emerged as the Redskins' top candidate and inherits a team that went 3-13 this season and hasn't made the playoffs since 2015. The 57-year-old of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent is the first minority to be named full-time coach in Redskins franchise history. Rivera is the seventh coach hired by Snyder in his two decades of ownership that have included just five playoff appearances. Rivera spent the past nine seasons coaching the Panthers, taking them to the Super Bowl in 2015. “He gets the best out of players,” said Washington cornerback Josh Norman, who played for Rivera with Carolina. “And not just players, but men. He builds men and guys — and also builds character, and sets them up not just for football, but sets (them up) in life. I think that’s the first and foremost thing you want to see in anybody, that they actually care about you instead of the game itself.” The Redskins the first team that fired its coach this season to fill the position. Snyder zeroed in on Rivera, who flew to Washington on Monday to meet with him about the job. Rivera replaces interim coach Bill Callahan, a favorite of Allen, who was fired after going 62-97-1 during his 10 years with the organization. “After several meetings with Coach Rivera, it was clear he is the right person to bring winning football back to Washington, D.C.," Snyder said in a statement. “He is widely respected around the league as a man of great integrity and has proven to be one of the finest coaches in the country.” Snyder and Allen fired Jay Gruden in October after a 0-5 start to his sixth season. Rivera was fired by the Panthers in December after starting 5-7. Carolina made the playoffs four times during Rivera's tenure, including a 15-1 season in 2015. “Those Panther teams were tough and physical,” said Washington linebacker Ryan Kerrigan, the team's longest-tenured player. "Obviously they made the Super Bowl that one year. We played against them that year and they really were a damn good team that year. He’s always had a physical, tough bunch. I know that.” Rivera previously was a defensive coordinator for the Bears and Chargers. He should boost a Washington defense that underachieved and finished 27th out of 32 NFL teams. “Just not consistent enough is the big word of the year," defensive lineman Jonathan Allen said. "We have a young group, young defense and, I mean, (the) only place from here is up, honestly.” Rivera could bring in Steve Wilks as defensive coordinator after time together in Carolina. Wilks spent one season as Arizona's coach and most recently was defensive coordinator in Cleveland under Freddie Kitchens, who was fired Sunday. Norman, who had his only All-Pro season under Wilks, called him “the best guy for the job.” Rivera goes from coaching Cam Newton with Carolina to younger quarterback Dwayne Haskins with Washington. Haskins, whom the team selected 15th overall and goes into 2020 as the starter, met Rivera during the pre-draft process. “He's a good dude,” Haskins said. "I heard a lot of good things about him. We'll see what happens.”

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He spent numerous short spells in police cells, and was charged with offences such as "cause obstruction to railway locomotive" and "armed to commit indictable offence" (he was "armed" with a short chain to lock himself to coal train rail tracks). At the time of his death, he was still on a good behaviour bond, and he still holds the record as the oldest Australian to be arrested. When he was asked if he was worried about being sentenced to prison, his reply was: “Bring it on.” William James Ryan was born in Sydney on St Patrick’s Day, 1922 to Michael Patrick Ryan and Mary Elizabeth Ryan (nee Farrell). Ryan’s view of the world was shaped by his childhood experiences of the Great Depression, and further by his experiences as a young man on the front line in World War II. The Depression years with his family meant sharing a single room in a boarding house in inner Sydney and regularly being required to relocate to new digs or to another boarding house. The family often wondered where their next meal would come from, and Ryan recalled the excitement of the very rare occasion when fresh fruit was available – an orange being a particularly rare delicacy. Ryan was a smart young man, but the poverty of the time meant he was unable to complete high school. Instead he went to work to provide additional income for the family. He worked at a number of low-paid, unskilled jobs in his teens. Job security did not exist, and Ryan always remembered the small gestures of kindness made by employers and others that made a difference to his life. When Australia was drawn further into World War II in 1941, Ryan willingly signed up to fight for his country aged 19. He was assigned to the 36th Australian Infantry Battalion (known as "Ike’s Marines"), and volunteered to be a forward scout on the front line. Bill Ryan during the Second World War. Ryan came up against the Japanese Imperial Army in the rugged and remote wilderness of the Kokoda Track, and then at the decisive Battle of Buna-Gona, described as "a ghastly nightmare" in Australian military history, and a turning point in World War II by war historians. Ryan was wounded in action, shot when advancing on an enemy machine-gun nest in thick jungle. He was evacuated to a makeshift field hospital in the New Guinea jungle, where he was offered the choice of receiving last rites from a priest or he could have a glass of water. “I’ll take the water,” he replied weakly. He was patched up and returned to the front line, this time fighting the enemy in New Britain. He was very lucky to return home from the war. Some of his mates didn’t. He never forgot those brave souls and on a visit to The Australian War Memorial in Canberra two years ago was able to tell stories of each of them as their names were read to him from the bronze plaque in the Roll of Honour. Ryan returned home to Australia with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and malaria. But he was a fighter, and his intelligence and wit won him the attention of a feisty young woman. He had met his match and he courted and then married Joyce Lillian Ryan (nee Hilaire) shortly after the war in 1946. As was the practice of the day, veterans were offered positions in the public service after their war service. His sense of loyalty kept him in the public service, firstly in the Postmaster-General’s Department, and then Telecom Australia until his retirement many years later. He settled down to family life, built a house in the southern suburbs of Sydney and had three sons with Joyce. He attended night school and completed his School Certificate, for the purpose of furthering his career and doing better for his family. BIll Ryan attended a Stop Adani National Day of Action at North Wollongong Beach in 2017. Credit:Sylvia Liber He was also passionate about justice, equality and opportunity for all people. Rather than take up golf or fishing (as was recommended by a judge at one of his court sentencing hearings many years later), Ryan threw himself at helping people everywhere. This included Australian workers through his involvement in the union movement, supporting his local community, and welfare and justice for First Peoples. He also fought on global issues such as apartheid in South Africa, refugee recognition and support, and world hunger and education through his involvement with organisations including Oxfam, Medicines San Frontiers, Amnesty International and the Kokoda Track Foundation. He proudly supported and participated in the School Strike 4 Climate campaign. Joyce died in 2013, and he sought comfort by throwing himself even deeper into the protest movement, connecting with more activists and attending more events and participating in more non-violent direct-action protests. He used computer technology to access news, social media and email to stay in touch with world news and events. He used this knowledge to argue for change. He shifted focus as the climate crisis escalated. He connected with more environmental groups including Greenpeace, Australian Conservation Foundation, The Wilderness Society, Friends of the Earth and the Knitting Nannas. Despite blindness and limited mobility, Ryan travelled widely to support others concerned about humanity’s future and the planet. His travels took him to all parts of Sydney and regional and rural communities including Newcastle, Boggabri, Gloucester and Canberra. Former Greens senator Lee Rhiannon said his passing was an enormous loss for the climate justice movement. “He has worked in ways that showed a very deep commitment to direct action ... many people have been inspired and worked harder for many causes because of Bill’s work.” He was quite bemused to be told that he had become somewhat of a poster boy for the environmental movement, but he took on the mantle. Despite being a quiet man, he put himself in front of microphones, cameras and the media. He seized the opportunity to use his ever-widening global recognition to inspire others to get involved, to take action and to hold governments to account. He was particularly pleased to see the younger generation getting involved and proudly supported and participated in the School Strike 4 Climate campaign. Greenpeace Australia Pacific campaigner Jonathan Moylan said: "Bill Ryan was an absolute legend to all of us. And will go down in history as someone who never lost the determination to fight for a better world."

I visit the Australian War Memorial in Canberra on a day of high wind and strange portent. The lawns are verdant but the day is dark, angry with topsoil from paddocks where animals graze bare dirt and follow every vehicle with hungry eyes. Similarly, while the war on waste, of all our war arenas, is surely bleeping redder than most, the in-house cafe serves everything with throw-away cutlery and containers. None of it seems accidental. In Canberra everything is symbolic. Now both the anger and the waste remind me how deeply Australia has been shaped by the military mindset. I’m here to consider Scott Morrison’s newest half-billion-dollar baby; the knock-down rebuild of Anzac Hall, behind the War Memorial museum. Designed by DCM, Anzac Hall is barely 18 years old and bears the nation’s highest architectural honour, the Sir Zelman Cowen Award. If demolished, it will be the only such winner to bite the dust. An artist's impression of the expanded of Australian War Memorial. Credit:Australian Community Media Which is partly why Morrison’s proposal has generated implacable opposition, with the Institute of Architects running a Hands Off Anzac Hall campaign and publishing an open letter signed by 83 prominent Australians and half a dozen architectural gold medallists. In city-making, everything has meaning. Even supposedly accidental cities like Sydney, with its dumb devotion to greed and expedience, comprise sedimentary layers of decision. Even Sydney reifies cultural value and belief. But in Canberra it’s more explicit. Here, the tension between the landscape romanticism of Canberra’s design and the hard-headed militarism of its execution is a constant presence.

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The Al-Aqsa Mosque complex was most frequently raided in 2019 by Jewish settlers, according to the Cairo-based Al-Azhar University. The university's observation unit of the fight against extremism stated in a report, "Violations toward the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which was raided by 30,416 occupants under Israeli police protection in 2019, have reached a record level." The report further underlined that raids and gradual occupation could not be accepted and that "Zionism is part of a policy to Judaize occupied Palestine." Most recently 407 Israeli settlers raided the Islamic holy site in mid-December, according to a report released by the Palestine Information Centre last week. The area which Al-Aqsa is built upon is referred to as Temple Mount by the Jews. It is central to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a flashpoint issue, with Palestinians fearing Israel may one day seek to assert further control over the site. It is located in east Jerusalem, which was annexed in 1980 by Israeli forces under the claim that the city serves as the capital of the Jewish state, a move never recognized by the international community. It is the third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina and is the most sacred site in Judaism. Jews are allowed on the premises to visit but not to pray, to avoid provoking tensions. Muslims believe that the first qiblah, the direction which Muslims turn to during prayers, was Al-Aqsa until it was designated as Mecca. Moreover, the existence of the Qubbat-us Sahra within the compound makes it more special as it is believed that the Prophet Muhammad started his spiritual journey to the heavens (miraj) from there. Since Israel occupied Jerusalem in 1967, the conflict has continued between Palestinians and Israelis, as the latter believe that the holy temple of Solomon is beneath the mosque. There are several rumors claiming that some Israelis were digging tunnels to reach the temple's ruins.

There is a war going on against the Jews, and without knowing we’ve been enlisted as foot soldiers against each other, against ourselves. Neither opportunists nor apologists are safe, and Jewish light shines too brightly to keep a low profile. We need to be loud in demanding an end to anti-Semitism, from extremists on both the right and the left: visibility doesn’t invite hate — it brings existing hate into the open. As a Jewish mother, I understand guilt, but I won’t feel guilty for decrying any group that aligns itself with white nationalists and their agendas, nor will I feel guilty for my love of Israel — and we should insist that any political party we align with respects both Judaism and Israel. Not agree with every policy of the Israeli government, but respect the right of Israel to exist and flourish. Our progressive values come from study of Torah and Judaism, from a history of fighting for others that flies in the face of aggressor and oppressor labels. Those labels shouldn’t be applied reflexively by people not interested in understanding the nuances of Israeli politics. When we claim to fight for justice, we need to understand what justice is, and what justice is not — and that shouldn’t be knee jerk or based on ‘sound bite politics’. Bret Stephens wrote about Jews being smart, but any smarts come from learning lessons of history and survival, not IQ. Our legacy is not genetic privilege but years of persecution. When hatred against any group is fanned, Jews are never far behind. Where there is scapegoating, anti-Semitism follows. Extremism catches fire in scapegoating, and where there are politics of division, hatred is perpetuated. As expected, the rise of anti-Semitic attack shows us where that hatred is now being pointed… again. When Jews are being attacked anywhere, we are not safe — no matter how much money, power or status we align ourselves with, no matter how willing we are to water down our own identities to fight for those who wish us dead. Nobody is excused from the responsibility of committing hate crimes. Allowing those who are violent to walk free insures future attack. Claiming mental illness as a defense against planned hate attack is often disingenuous and, frankly, not the point. Any law used disproportionately on a group should be attacked – but not to the extent that it allows criminal behavior against other minorities to go unchecked. Money may make people feel safe, but it can be lost or taken away. Jews supported Hitler picking fatherland over their own — and it didn’t save them. Jewish bankers supported Hitler thinking that would make them safe. It didn’t. Anyone willing to support hatred because it makes them money should remember that confiscated Jewish wealth paid for a third of the German war effort. Invoking lessons of the Holocaust — recognizing our own vulnerability, recognizing abuse of others, citing the lessons of history again and again and again – doesn’t diminish this genocide: it memorializes it. When huge branches of family trees are hacked down, we pay attention at the first sign of anyone wielding an axe. Watching Shtisel and Fauda can’t be the only tie we have to those more observant and to Israel. One look at the Nuremberg laws shows that attempts to define who is a Jew doesn’t look at practice but at bloodlines, and those quick to distance themselves from Zionism might do well to remember the anti-Semitism that made it necessary.

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MINNEAPOLIS — The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement should have a positive effect for farmers and other businesses on both sides of the border, says the Canadian consul general for the upper Midwest. Ariel Delouya serves in the Candian Consulate in Minneapolis, covering the Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska. The USMCA, moving through the approval process, “reinforces the long-standing cooperation and partnership that exists between food processors, producers on both sides of the border,” he says, adding, “We have a very integrated sector in terms of ag, whether it’s shipment of piglets from Manitoba to places like Iowa, for fattening and processing eventually.” Conversely, there is a lot of shipment of processed foods and beverages from those states. Science-based Steven Buchta is the Canadian consul and trade commissioner covering agriculture. listen live watch live “I think one of the benefits that was achieved for all three countries was improved language on a science-based approach to agriculture, including biotechnology,” Buchta says. “It was an opportunity for all three countries, as leaders in using science in agriculture, to have provisions and a regulatory framework agreed-to in the agreement, or protocols to communicate on those matters spelled out as well as possible.” Canada has an embassy in Washington, D.C., but also a mission in New York, a liaison office in San Diego, with consulates in 17 major cities, including Minneapolis. A consulate helps facilitate trade between Canada and partners in the area states. Officials help companies on both sides evaluate opportunities and regulations. Delouya says that since the North American Free Trade Agreement, predecessor to the USMCA, was approved in 1994, agricultural trade among the three countries has tripled, further linking a market of 480 million people. Thirty U.S. states count Canada as their top export market. Three of the biggest ag trade states are Minnesota, with $1.3 billion in annual trade, and North Dakota, $900 million; and South Dakota, about $300 million. To compare, overall U.S-Canada trade accounts for about $2 billion a day in every sector and every service — about $800 billion a year in bilateral trade. One of the big “asks” in the USMCA by U.S. agriculture was greater access to Canada markets for dairy, poultry and eggs, which had to be reconciled with Canada’s supply management — permits and quotas in those areas. The Canadians agreed to eliminate a couple of their dairy product classifications, involving milk protein supplements and infant formula. A USMCA provision also improves the grain grading standards. ‘Entry into force’ Changes will come into effect six months after the “entry into force” of USMCA. The U.S. House now has approved it. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, announced Dec. 20 that he’ll lead a markup of its ratification on Jan. 7, the first day the Senate will be in session in 2020. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has said the Senate won’t consider it until after the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. Mexico ratified the agreement last June and now will have to re-approve it with the latest changes. Canada had an election in October and were working their way through approving the USMCA. Now it has to be re-introduced in a new Parliament, where it is expected to pass. Delouya says that “giving credit where credit is due,” he emphasized it was Trump who “really wanted to get to a new deal that was more in line with current trade realities between the three countries.” Issues like digital trade weren’t important when NAFTA was approved in 1994, but are now. It includes labor and environment provisions important particularly in the U.S. and Canada. “There are some enforceable provisions that make the agreement a little more ‘toothy,’” Delouya says, as well as manufacturing. He says the agreement is in force for 16 years, subject to review every five years. “It gives us — consumers, businesses, investors, farmers — predictable environment in which to operate going forward. At least now the lay of the land is clear with respect to market access in the case of farmers and producers. That’s good news.”

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) has never voted in favor of a trade deal — until now. One of Brown’s first votes as a member of Congress was against the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1993. In the decades since, he has railed against the deal arguing that it cost American jobs. “I voted against every trade agreement since I've been member of the House or Senate, because every trade agreement has been written by corporate interests to enrich executives and stock holders and not for workers,” said Brown. Now, Brown plans to vote “yes” on the new NAFTA, known as the United States Mexico Canada Agreement or USMCA when the full Senate considers it. He already voted to approve the implementation bill in the Senate Finance Committee last week. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters on Tuesday he expects the full Senate to vote on USMCA by the end of the week. “I never thought this day would come,” Brown said in an interview with Yahoo Finance. “It happened because...people overwhelmingly understood that the NAFTA was bad for our communities, especially in the industrial Midwest.” Brown and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) worked together to push for stronger labor provisions in the deal. “Finally, we saw a chance to renegotiate it and we knew if we stuck together, and together meant all the Democrats put pressure on the president saying, ‘Quit betraying workers. This matters for workers,’ and we succeeded,” said Brown. Democratic lawmakers in the House negotiated with United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer for months on the deal’s labor, environmental, pharmaceutical and enforcement provisions. Last month, Speaker Pelosi announced a compromise and the House passed the USMCA implementation bill in a landslide vote. “We went to work and we convinced the president — kicking and screaming — that we needed strong labor enforcement and that this agreement should be centered around workers, not around corporate interests,” said Brown. Brown pointed to provisions that protect Mexican workers’ rights to form union and measures to ensure Mexico upholds labor standards as key victories in the deal. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., accompanied by Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee Richard Neal, D-Mass., left, speaks at a news conference to discuss the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) trade agreement, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) More “It’ll mean Mexican wages will come up,” Brown said. “Mexican wages will come up so that it will be less attractive for American companies to shut down production in Dayton and move to Mexico.” Some Democratic opposition While the Senate is expected to approve the deal by a wide margin, some Democratic lawmakers oppose the deal because it doesn’t do enough to fight climate change. “USMCA’s environmental provisions are insufficient—and by not addressing climate change, the USMCA fails to meet the crises of this moment. Californians know that the climate crisis is already here. Communities across our state have experienced exacerbated fires, storms, floods, and drought, and the devastation will only get worse if we fail to take bold and immediate action to address it,” said Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) in a statement. Harris voted against the deal in the Senate Budget Committee on Tuesday. Brown has acknowledged the deal isn’t perfect and told Yahoo Finance Congress needs to do a better job of addressing climate change. The Trump administration has said it plans to use USMCA as a model for future trade negotiations — so while this the first trade deal to earn Brown’s approval, it may not be the last. “One of the reasons we fought so hard for this is, we understood if we get this as part of USMCA, it becomes a model for the future. That strong enforceable labor standards, environmental standards, doing the right thing on access to medicines —that can be the core of any trade agreements,” he said. “And then over time, we'll see trade agreements work in a way that companies are much less likely to outsource jobs from the United States overseas.” Still, his support for USMCA doesn’t mean he’ll necessarily get behind the Phase 1 deal with China, which was signed on Wednesday. Brown has urged President Trump to “stay strong” in his negotiations with China. “I want to make sure China's not the same thing and he's not really been open enough about what's in it,” he said. Jessica Smith is a reporter for Yahoo Finance based in Washington, D.C. Follow her on Twitter at @JessicaASmith8. Read more:

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My Dear Kogites, It gives me great joy to welcome everyone to this New Year and I thank God Almighty for keeping us alive and healthy to witness it. 2020 is also the beginning of a new decade commencing today, being Wednesday, the 1st of January, 2020 and ending on Monday, the 31st day of December, 2029, making it a compelling point to set long term personal and state development goals. Even as I thank God for the life and wellbeing of each Kogite who has crossed over into this New Year, I also remember with fondness and gratitude to God those who could not make it, but whose lives were well lived and their legacy enduring. I pay particular tribute to Hajia Rabiat Bello, my beloved sister who passed on at 59 years of age on Monday, 23rd December, 2019 after a protracted illness. I pray the Almighty God to grant her and other deceased Kogites eternal rest. 2019 will go down in history as the year in which we came together as a people like never before to break down the strong barriers of ethnicity, religion and class differentiation which divided us for so long and slowed our progress. These walls of partition were built and patronised in the past and engendered discrimination. They were used to make sure that a man’s merit took a back seat to parochial and unprofitable considerations and were cogs in the wheels of our advancement as a state. This is why our choices in the 2019 General Elections and in the November 16 Kogi State Gubernatorial Elections were direct answers to long-standing existential questions about the direction our state will take as we move into a rapidly changing future. The results of those elections were truly historic as they highlighted our collective commitment to pursue progress over conflict and unity instead of sectionalism. Even though my Administration has worked hard over the last 4 years to achieve this result, I still remain indebted to Kogites for making me the arrowhead of a new era in which Igala, Ebira, Okun and all the other ethnic nationalities in Kogi State proved that tribe, religion and class cannot be the worth of a man. Together, we heralded the New Kogi we want to bequeath to posterity as one characterised by equity and justice, unity, peace and progress. I solemnly promise to spend the next four years strengthening and advancing these precious values. There is no doubt that 2020 is indeed a new beginning for us as a state and people. On the 27th day of January, 2020 I shall, by the grace of God, take the Oath of Office as the 5th Executive Governor of Kogi State, and begin a second term in Office. It shall remain the principal preoccupation of my new administration to bring revitalised energy to bear in delivering refocused governance in Kogi State for the next four years. Our administration through the help of God Almighty and your patience and support will continue to address all of the issues which bother you including insecurity, infrastructural decay, prompt payment of emoluments to civil servants, problems of unemployment, healthcare and education, among others. In our second term in office we are also going to pay greater attention to human capital development by investing more in training our people for enhanced relevance in a technologically evolving future. It is therefore with gratitude to God that I once again welcome the good people of Kogi State to the year 2020. We undertake to do our very best to make it a most prosperous and progressive one for all of us by working hard and smart for you in government. Happy New Year. To God be the Glory! Yahaya Bello Governor of Kogi State Government House Lokoja.

A former gubernatorial aspirant on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State, Gen. Patrick Ademu Akpa has urged Nigerians to be positive about the new year. Gen Akpa said 2020 “will favour the country and her people more than 2019″. He stated this in a New Year message, signed by his media Aide, Pastor John Desmond, on Tuesday. Akpa said: “No nation grows with the citizenry being negative about the progress of such a nation.” He said Nigerians should see light at the end of the tunnel over the nation’s politics, economy, unity and development. Akpa insisted that 2019 was not a bad year, when properly scrutinised. He said: “Nigerians must be grateful to God for His goodness in 2019, as well as pray that the current year will be far better than the previous year.” He enjoined Kogi people to join hands with the administration of Governor Yahaya Bello to continue to work for the good of Kogi state.

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(MENAFN - GlobeNewsWire - Nasdaq) BOUSSARD & GAVAUDAN HOLDING LIMITED Ordinary Shares The Directors of Boussard & Gavaudan Holding Limited would like to announce the following information for the Company. Close of business 31 Dec 2019. Estimated NAV Euro Shares Sterling Shares Estimated NAV € 22.8644 £ 20.6078 Estimated MTD return 0.99 % 0.64 % Estimated YTD return 3.91 % 4.90 % Estimated ITD return 128.64 % 106.08 % NAV and returns are calculated net of management and performance fees Market information Euro Shares Amsterdam (AEX) London (LSE) Market Close € 18.00 N/A Premium/discount to estimated NAV -21.28 % N/A Sterling Shares Amsterdam (AEX) London (LSE) Market Close N/A GBX 1,560.00 Premium/discount to estimated NAV N/A -24.30 % Transactions in own securities purchased into treasury Ordinary Shares Euro Shares Sterling Shares Number of shares N/A N/A Average Price N/A N/A Range of Price N/A N/A Liquidity Enhancement Agreement Euro Shares Sterling Shares Number of shares N/A N/A Average Price N/A N/A BGHL Capital BGHL Ordinary Shares Euro Shares Sterling Shares Shares Outstanding 14,804,678 398,542 Held in treasury 300,000 N/A Shares Issued 15,104,678 398,542 Estimated BG Fund NAV Class B Euro Shares (estimated) € 188.1413 The Class B Euro Shares of BG Fund are not subject to investment manager fees, as the Investment Manager receives management fees and performance fees in respect of its role as Investment Manager of BGHL. For further information please contact: Boussard & Gavaudan Investment Management, LLP. Emmanuel Gavaudan +44 (0) 20 3751 5389 Email : The Company is established as a closed-ended investment company domiciled in Guernsey. The Company has received the necessary approval of the Guernsey Financial Services Commission and the States of Guernsey Policy Council. The Company is registered with the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets as a collective investment scheme pursuant to article 2:73 in conjunction with 2:66 of the Dutch Financial Supervision Act (Wet op het financieel toezicht). The shares of the Company (the "Shares") are listed on Euronext Amsterdam. The Shares are also listed on the Official List of the UK Listing Authority and admitted to trading on the London Stock Exchange plc's main market for listed securities. This is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of any offer to buy any securities in the United States or in any other jurisdiction. This announcement is not intended to and does not constitute, or form part of, any offer or invitation to purchase any securities or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction, nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer of the securities referred to in this announcement in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law. Neither the Company nor BG Fund ICAV has been, and neither will be, registered under the US Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "Investment Company Act"). In addition the securities referenced in this announcement have not been and will not be registered under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). Consequently any such securities may not be offered, sold or otherwise transferred within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, US persons except in accordance with the Securities Act or an exemption therefrom and under circumstances which will not require the issuer of such securities to register under the Investment Company Act. No public offering of any securities will be made in the United States. You should always bear in mind that: all investment is subject to risk; results in the past are no guarantee of future results; the investment performance of BGHL may go down as well as up. You may not get back all of your original investment; and if you are in any doubt about the contents of this communication or if you consider making an investment decision, you are advised to seek expert financial advice. This communication is for information purposes only and the information contained in this communication should not be relied upon as a substitute for financial or other professional advice. Attachment Daily NAV - BgHL MENAFN0201202000703653ID1099497140

The United States is known as "the land of the free," and many Americans are proud of the freedoms our country grants. But even though Americans are given the right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," there are some small, surprising things that citizens can't do in the U.S. At both the national and state levels, there are certain laws that are petty or peculiar, especially compared to the rest of the world. Whether it's a food the government has deemed "dangerous" or a weird law on the books because of one wild person, here are 20 wacky things that are surprisingly illegal in the United States. (This story originally appeared on The Active Times.)

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The attacker called the police and ordered them what to do next by Rufus Randeniya A Buddhist priest slapped a man while talking in close proximity. Victim's eyeglasses went flying. Thousands of Facebook fans witnessed this callous attack and it is gone viral instantly. Not only our country f/b fans but this attack has also been viewed by millions of international f/b fans and Christian organisations all over the world are expressing their displeasure on this incident which the Sri Lankan govt., is ignoring. The attacker called the police and ordered them what to do next. In civilized countries, no one including police are allowed to attack someone. This was well proved in the case of the former IGP who manhandled an employee. Unfortunately, the priest involved in this scenario seems unaffected by the law. Rulers must do something in this regard before the Buddhist establishments functioning in many western countries with no resistance could face repercussion. We have two Buddhist temples in our neighbourhood and the Americans respect them and their activities. Here the Buddhist temples are mushrooming and we see some houses flying Buddhist flags turn temples conveniently with no resistance from anyone. Don't we see this freedom which the constitution of the country declares? I see Hare Rama Hare Krishna groups sing softly at the railway stations with enchanting music played by them. Sitting at the exit gates, they at pleasant feelings to rushing passengers. The world tolerates different cultures, strange religions and uncommon costumes while narrow-minded people who are not exposed to everything out of their wells resist for the sake of resisting. Pope was yanked rudely by a woman in the excited crowd and his annoyed reaction was a slap on her face. This happened yesterday. Then upon realizing what he did impulsively, he made a public apology. Sadly, we don't see our slapping priest apologising at all. I do not know the Christian party who had gone to the area of this priest and they should have gone away dusting their feet. Christian places are under obligation to tell the good news of the salvation of Jesus but not in places where they are not welcome.

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A Kentucky lawmaker filed a bill to legalize recreational marijuana as a way of providing funding for the state's debt-ridden employee pension fund. December 31, 2019 4 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. In an era of political polarization, the legalization of recreational marijuana has fallen for the most part along blue state-red state lines. That is, blue states do it and red states don’t. But that could potentially change with Kentucky. A Kentucky lawmaker has filed legislation that would create a legal recreational cannabis system in the state. A driving force behind the proposal is to use taxes generated from cannabis sales to fund the retirement system for state employees, as well as the state teachers’ retirement fund. Rep. Cluster Howard, the Democrat who filed the bill, said other states have shown that “legalizing cannabis for adult use is a win-win situation for everyone involved,” according to WKYT CBS. He added, “It’s a major revenue generator; it frees up critical jail and prison space; it helps counteract the deadly opioid epidemic; it gives farmers a major new cash crop. The longer we wait, the more we miss out on these benefits.” RELATED: 7 Things You Need To Know About LA's New Cannabis Cafe Marijuana Legalization For Adult Use Has Been A Blue State Thing Like most progressive ideas, legalizing adult-use cannabis has been predominantly a blue state thing. And, even within those states, it’s something that gets most of its support in the metropolitan areas. The 11 states that have legalized marijuana in the U.S. so far are: Alaska, California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. All but two of them (Alaska and Michigan) were blue states in the 2016 election. Of the two, Alaska is the only one that is historically a red state. Michigan had been solidly blue since 1992, that is, until current President, Donald Trump, narrowly won the state in 2016. States currently debating recreational marijuana legalization are New York and New Jersey, which are also blue states. In contrast, Trump got 62.5 percent of the vote in Kentucky, one of the highest in the country. Kentucky hasn’t voted for a Democrat in the presidential election since Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996. Before that, it was Jimmy Carter in 1976. RELATED: 20 Bold Predictions for the Cannabis Industry in 2020 The Bill In Kentucky Would Fund An Employee Pension Plan Why would Howard think his bill has a chance, given Kentucky’s conservative politics? Because he wants to use the popularity of marijuana to address a longstanding state issue. Technically, he’s submitted a pre-filed bill for the 2020 legislative session. The proposal calls for 75 percent of cannabis tax and fee money collected by the state to fund the Kentucky Employee Retirement System, with 25 percent going towards the Kentucky Teachers' Retirement System. Once both are fully funded, the split would move to 50-50. That could take many years, however, as Howard said that the state’s employee retirement system is "the worst-funded pension fund in the nation." The plan has $13.6 billion in unfunded liabilities, according to the Louisville Courier Journal. Added Howard to the Courier-Journal, “All I hear is you're not going to raise that much. Well, it's a hell of a lot more than what we're raising now, which is zero.” In that sense, on the economic argument, it seems like a no-brainer. But Howard seems to understand the fight he will likely face, adding, “it's not a moral issue. It's an economic issue. The people who run the House and the Senate in Frankfort are not going to be able to run from this." To stay up to date on the latest marijuana-related news make sure to like dispensaries.com on Facebook

With 2019 nearly rolled up, it is time to exhale and recap the latest dose of marijuana laws affecting the workplace. In the last twelve months, Illinois became the eleventh state to legalize recreational marijuana use by adult[1] and several other jurisdictions passed or modified their existing laws governing marijuana and the workplace. Below is a summary of this year’s developments and some thoughts about what 2020 might bring. Illinois Legalizes Recreational Marijuana Use On June 25, 2019, Governor Pritzker signed the Illinois’ Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act into law, legalizing the use and possession of marijuana for adults age 21 or older starting January 1, 2020. The law, since modified, includes extensive workplace protections for employers, permitting employers to enforce drug free workplace policies—including random drug testing—and discipline or terminate employees who violate those policies, so long as those policies are applied in a nondiscriminatory manner. Employers are also shielded from liability for taking adverse actions against an employee based on the employer’s good faith belief that the employee is impaired or under the influence of marijuana while at work. After enactment, questions arose as to whether Illinois employers who drug test their employees risked running afoul of the state’s Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act, which prohibits workplace discrimination based on an employee’s off-site and off-duty use of a “lawful product.” Fortunately, the Illinois legislature subsequently passed an amendment to clarify that employers may take adverse action against employees or rescind offers to applicants who fail a drug test conducted pursuant to an employer’s reasonable policy. Despite the amended law’s added protections for employers, employees nonetheless may have a private right of action for a bad faith termination of employment. In addition, the amendments do not expressly address the question of whether an employer has a duty to accommodate an employee who provides a medical marijuana card or note from a doctor. Expanded Workplace Protections for Marijuana Use Employers should also be aware of the states and cities that provided new protections for marijuana users in 2019. New Mexico and Oklahoma each passed legislation that prohibits employers from discriminating against employees because of their status as registered medical marijuana users; however, the Oklahoma law does provide an exception for safety-sensitive jobs and for situations which the employee possesses, consumes or is under the influence of marijuana at work. In Nevada, a new law taking effect on January 1, 2020, prevents employers from failing or refusing to hire an applicant because the applicant tests positive for marijuana. Perhaps not surprisingly, New York City went one step further when it passed an Int. 1445-A, barring most employers from conducting any pre-employment testing for marijuana or THC. The ordinance provides several exceptions to allow drug testing of applicants for safety-related positions, transport-related positions, caregivers, and certain federal contractors. Similarly, New Jersey now prohibits employers from disciplining or terminating an employee solely based on that individual’s status as a registered medical marijuana user. While the law does not prevent employers from prohibiting or disciplining employees from using marijuana during work hours or on workplace premises, Garden State employers with a drug testing policy are required to offer employees and applicants who test positive the opportunity to explain the positive result. Looking Ahead to 2020 Given the recent trends, employers should expect another wave of marijuana legislation in the coming year. Indeed, several states, such as Florida, Indiana, and Massachusetts are already considering bills that would prohibit discrimination against medical marijuana users and potentially eliminate most workplace drug testing for marijuana and THC. After coming close to passing legal recreational marijuana in the prior legislative sessions, New York and New Jersey will likely see another push in the coming year. New Jersey is slated to consider a ballot-initiative in a push to let voters decide whether to legalize adult-use recreational marijuana. Employers should also be aware of potential federal action relating to marijuana. In June, the U.S. House of Representatives approved an amendment prohibiting the Department of Justice from using appropriated funds to interfere with state-legal marijuana programs. The House passed a second major marijuana bill in September, the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act, which would protect banks and credit unions that serve cannabis businesses from being penalized under federal anti-money laundering and illicit finance laws. Finally, in November, the House Judiciary Committee approved the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, which removes marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act and requires federal courts to expunge prior convictions for marijuana offenses. Although significant marijuana legislation is unlikely to pass the U.S. Senate in an election year, Congress’s rumblings underscore a shift in public opinion that has already and likely will continue to drive states to legislate further in this area. ***** [1] While still illegal under federal law, adult recreational use of marijuana is permitted in the District of Columbia and the following states: Alaska, California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. Reprinted with permission from Health Employment and Labor blog. Source: Epstein Becker Green. Topics Legislation Cannabis Illinois New Jersey Drugs

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NFL teams count on star quarterbacks, such as Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints, to get them to the playoffs. Brees is 40, which is old for a football player, but ESPN ranked him the second-best quarterback in the NFL. (Jacob Kupferman/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images) There’s an old riddle: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? In the past, the riddle for National Football League (NFL) teams appeared to be: Which comes first, the good quarterback or the playoff team? Now, the NFL is a passer’s league, and it’s clear that a team has to have a good quarterback to make it to the playoffs. Take a look at this year’s crop of playoff teams. Nine of the starting quarterbacks on the 12 teams that made the playoffs are rated among the top dozen NFL passers, according to ESPN. Number 1 is Ryan Tannehill of the Tennessee Titans. Second is Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints); third is Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens); fourth, Kirk Cousins (Minnesota Vikings); fifth, Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks); seventh, Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs); eighth, Jimmy Garoppolo (San Francisco 49ers); 11th, Deshaun Watson (Houston Texans); and 12th, Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers). One of the playoff quarterbacks who did not finish in ESPN’s top 12 is Tom Brady (Rated Number 19) of the New England Patriots. Most experts would agree he is a pretty good NFL quarterback. The opposite is true, too. If your quarterback does not play well, it’s tough to make it to the postseason. The Cleveland Browns were early-season favorites. But their quarterback — Baker Mayfield (Rated Number 31) — flopped, and so did the Browns. Lamar Jackson (Number 8) helped get the Baltimore Ravens into the playoffs. He started in the first 15 games of the regular season. Jackson didn’t start the final game because he was battling the flu, his coach said. Keeping quarterbacks healthy is very important for NFL teams. (Jason Miller/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images) Another key to making the playoffs is to keep the quarterback healthy. Nine of the 12 playoff quarterbacks played at least 15 of the 16 regular season games. The Pittsburgh Steelers had high hopes for the 2019 season. But their star quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, got hurt in the second game, and the Steelers missed the playoffs. Age doesn’t seem to be as important for a playoff quarterback. Most of the playoff quarterbacks are in their 20s — Jackson is the youngest at 22. But two — Brees and Brady — are the two “old men” at 40 and 42. So why are the quarterbacks so important? Playing quarterback is the most difficult position in football and maybe in all of sports. Think of what a quarterback has to do. He has to memorize hundreds of plays and know where every player is supposed to be at all times. He has to read the opposing team’s defense and sometimes change the play at the line of scrimmage. He has to throw passes — long, short and in between — on target with 280-pound defensive linemen breathing down his neck. That’s a lot for one player. No wonder it’s so hard to find a good quarterback and why teams will do almost anything to keep one. So watch the NFL playoffs for the next few weeks. You will see exciting games with the top teams playing for a chance to go to the Super Bowl. And you will see the best quarterbacks. Read more Score columns: The NFL playoffs began in 1932, when the game was held in a hockey rink There’s not much college in the College Football Playoff What’s the big football story? Flag is more popular than tackle. Do you know your Super Bowl history? Take our quiz to find out.

1 of 10 Don Juan Moore/Getty Images 1. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints 2. Tom Brady, New England Patriots 3. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys 4. Philip Rivers, Los Angeles Chargers 5. Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6. Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans 7. Teddy Bridgewater, Saints Don't get your hopes up. We listed seven quarterbacks, but most of these guys are unlikely to hit free agency. For various reasons, it's hard to imagine Brees, Brady or Rivers playing anywhere else. Prescott and the Cowboys have been negotiating for what feels like forever, and it's possible that Prescott, Winston and Tannehill all get hit by franchise tags before sniffing the open market. So it's possible—maybe even likely—that Bridgewater is the top quarterback to actually become available, although there's also an outside chance that a veteran like Cam Newton or Nick Foles becomes unemployed between now and the start of free agency. But for now, we'll focus on these seven, none of whom are under contract beyond this spring. Brees and Brady, who rank first and second on the all-time passing touchdowns list, will both have the last two years of their current deals void on the eve of the new league year. But they're the two oldest position players in pro football, and new contracts in New Orleans and New England are likely. And even if those deals don't come together, it's possible either (or both) could retire. Rivers has said he's open to playing elsewhere, and an argument can be made that the Chargers should move on after another disappointing season with the offense under his tutelage. However, his numbers plummeted in 2019, so it's difficult to imagine another team taking a risk on the 38-year-old. The Cowboys don't sound as though they're willing to part with Prescott, so after a 30-touchdown season, the franchise tag is there if needed. Ditto for the Bucs and Winston, especially after NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported last week that the plan is to bring him back for 2020. Tannehill is coming off the fourth-highest-rated season in NFL history, and ESPN's Dianna Russini reported in December that the Titans were "internally discussing a new contract for" the 31-year-old. But unless Brees does move on or retire, you'd have to think a team like the Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts or Jacksonville Jaguars would be willing to outspend the Saints for Bridgewater, who won all five of his starts this season in place of an injured Brees.

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By Express News Service NEW DELHI: A day after the national capital experienced the coldest recorded day in December, the sun shone bright on Tuesday, with the temperature going up by few notches even as icy winds swept the city. Shallow fog was reported in the morning at isolated places. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), there would be “no cold wave in the city till January 4 (Saturday) and temperatures will rise further”. The department also predicted moderate fog on Wednesday and very light rain on Thursday. The prolonged cold wave and absence of adequate sunshine due to a dense fog had caused the mercury to plummet drastically. December recorded an 18-day ‘cold spell’, the maximum after December 1997.IMD Senior scientist Kuldeep Srivastava, said strong easterly winds prevented the formation of dense fog on Tuesday morning and hence maximum temperature rose significantly. The minimum temperature also went up from 2.8 degrees Celsius on Monday to 4.7 degrees Celsius on Tuesday. The maximum temperature also rose to 14.6 degrees Celsius.The minimum temperature at Palam was recorded at 4.1 degrees Celsius and Lodhi Road at 3.7 degrees Celsius. Mercury fell to 4.2 degrees Celsius in Aya Nagar. The IMD also said that this is also the longest duration of severe cold day since 1992 “for the three months, December to February in totality”. Mahesh Palawat, a senior scientist at private forecasting agency Skymet Weather, said the “worst period” was over for now and icy winds won’t continue from northwest for long.

New Delhi, Jan 1 (IANS) Bringing relief to people, the cold wave in north India including the Delhi NCR region seems to have abated for the moment with day temperatures rising on New Year’s Day and touching almost 20 degrees Celsius in Delhi. According to the India Meteorological Department, day temperatures have risen by 3-7 degrees Celsius over most parts of the northern plains of India, while Delhi has seen a rise of 5-6 degrees Celsius over Tuesday. The IMD said that under the influence of warm moist easterlies, northern plains reported maximum temperatures around 17-20 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, while Delhi has reported usual average temperature – Safdarjung at 20.5 degrees Celsius and Palam at 19.6 degrees Celsius. According to Skymet Weather, some isolated light rains are expected over Delhi-NCR on Thursday. With this, the wind pattern has changed and has restricted the flow of chilly northwesterly winds. These winds are now blowing from the easterly direction, and are comparatively warm and humid in nature. “With this, minimum temperatures are likely to rise across the national capital along with nearby areas of Noida, Gurugram and Faridabad. As a result, cold wave would abate and we do not expect to make a come back anytime soon as night temperatures would remain near normal,” Skymet Weather said. Meanwhile, cold day conditions would continue for another 24 hours but are expected to abate thereafter. Days would see bright sunshine, bringing huge relief for the capital which has been bearing the brunt of extreme cold weather for the last 18 consecutive days, it added. –IANS san/vd

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While tradition and heritage are at the core of Waipū's famous Highland Games, the Caledonian Society doesn't shy away from introducing new elements into one of the longest-running Scottish gatherings in the Southern Hemisphere – and this year was marked by a great boost for women. For the first time in its 149-year history, the Highland Games featured a women's division in the heavyweight competition, with four contestants taking up the challenge. Sonia Tompkins, Rachel Boyce-Bacon, Dee Field and Tahlia Brody took it to the grand arena to throw 10kg stones and Gaelic hammers – the same weights as the men were heaving – and tried their skills at caber tossing. Tompkins said competing was a fun experience and she was glad to have joined alongside her friends, Boyce-Bacon and Field. Advertisement "It feels very unbalanced when you lift the caber, and you're constantly trying to adjust. You just really have to go with the momentum. It's quite the adrenaline rush once you let go of it." READ MORE: • Let the games begin: Waipū Highland games on again tomorrow • Another bumper crowd at Waipu Highland Games on a hot day • What's On: New Year's eve fireworks in Paihia, Waipū Highland Games and more • Strong competition in Heavyweight events at Waipū Highland Games on New Year's Day While Brody, who had played rugby for Bay of Plenty during the last season, had come up North specifically to join the Highland Games, the trio around Tompkins are a group of local friends who were keen to take on a new challenge. "We are all going to the same gym, and we were having a coffee together one day, and I just asked the others. It was great to have a goal to work towards to," Field said. In preparation for the Games, the group held a few training sessions at the beach throwing heavy objects and makeshift weights, including concrete-filled pots they made in their garage. Field said she was surprised they didn't have women's section earlier and welcomed the new opportunity. Prominent female athletes, including Valerie Adams in 2003, had joined the Waipū Games for the heavyweight competitions before, however, having a separate women's division is new. Rugby player Brody who is originally from the United States said having a separate division might boost women's confidence and make them more comfortable when competing in the sport.

NATIONAL North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (KCNA-Yonhap) North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited the mausoleum of his late grandfather and father in his first reported public activity this year after he threatened to show off a "new strategic weapon."Kim paid tribute at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the bodies of state founder and grandfather Kim Il-sung and his father Kim Jong-il are enshrined, on the occasion of the start of the new year, according to the Korean Central News Agency.His visit to the mausoleum came after he warned of a "shocking actual action" and threatened to show off a "new strategic weapon" in the near future during a rare four-day meeting of the ruling Workers' Party held until the last day of 2019.After releasing the remarks through state media, Kim skipped his annual New Year's Day address.The North had threatened to take a "new way" if the United States failed to offer concessions to move the stalled denuclearization process forward before the end of 2019, spurring concern that he would abandon diplomacy altogether and revert to provocative acts.Even though Kim warned of a "new strategic weapon" and a "shocking actual action," he still appeared to have left room for negotiations, saying how much the North will bolster its nuclear deterrent will be "properly coordinated" depending on the US future attitude.Close aides accompanied Kim on his visit to the mausoleum, including Choe Ryong-hae, the country's de facto No. 2 leader, and Premier Kim Jae-ryong, according to the KCNA. Kim has paid tribute there on New Year's Day since taking office in late 2011, except in 2018. (Yonhap)

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At least eight people, including a lawyer and a college student, died in separate accidents on the city’s outskirts and in Kancheepuram on Tuesday night and in the early hours of Wednesday when the New Year revelry was at its peak. Police, however, said they were not able to confirm if any of the accidents were directly related to the celebrations.While hotels and clubs were packed and there were thousands of people on the roads through the night, the biggest party spots, like always, were the Marina and the Elliot’s beach in Besant Nagar. About 15,000 police personnel were deployed across the city and about 75 flyovers were blocked for vehicles from 10pm on Tuesday. There were few untoward incidents.S Thangavelu, a 20-yearold third year BCom student of a private college and resident of New Perungalathur , died after he rode his two-wheeler into a bus parked by the side of a road near Tambaram. His two friends, who were riding pillion, escaped with injuries. Police said all the three were not wearing helmets. Thangavelu was rushed to the Government Hospital in Chromepet where doctors declared him ‘brought dead’.Roads in the suburbs were full of merrymakers, either going to events or returning from parties. Ramalingam, a 40-yearold lawyer practising in the Madras high court, was returning home on his two-wheeler after celebrating with friends when he was run over by a truck near Puzhal Central Prison. He died on the spot.At Irungattukottai on Chennai-Bengaluru National Highway, a car rammed against a lorry, killing two and leaving four others injured. The deceased, who police identified as Kancheepuram residents Vignesh Sha, 24, and Sankar Sha, 26, had celebrated with four others at Kancheepuram and all six were driving to a party in Chennai when the incident occurred.Near Ennore, Sundar, 48, a fisherman, died after his twowheeler collided with another two-wheeler. The other biker is being treated at a government hospital. While Mohammad, 45, of Porur, who was riding a bicycle, was knocked down by an autorickshaw near Kumanan Chavadi and died on the way to hospital, an unknown vehicle fatally knocked down Krishnakumar, 31, a motorcycle rider, at the Red Hills-Kathirvedu traffic signal.Rajagopal, a 70-year-old pedestrian, was fatally knocked down by an autorickshaw at Karayanchavadi near Poonamallee on Wednesday morning.LED-illuminated barricades were put up on arterial roads, particularly Kamarajar Salai, Dr Radhakrishnan Salai, Sardar Patel Road, Anna Salai and Poonamallee High Road, and special teams were deployed on ECR at Neelankarai, Thoraipakkam, Thiruvanmiyur, Outer Ring Road, Maduravoyal Bypass, GST Road and GNT Road to check ‘racing’. Help centres were set up at many places and 25 patrol vehicles were on the roads to help clear crowds and traffic.

In a special drive, the Chennai Traffic Police booked over 700 cases for offences ranging from drunken driving to rash driving. The four main government hospitals in the city received more than 200 persons, including many hurt in road accidents and assaults related to New Year revelry. In the city’s suburbs, six lost their lives. However, the city police claimed that these were not connected with New Year revelry. Thangavel, 19, of New Perungalathur, was returning home from Marina when he rammed his bike into a bus plying between Tambaram and Poonamallee near Tambaram bus terminus. He sustained injuries on the head and chest. The police have arrested bus driver Subramani. Sundar, 47, who was riding his bike on the Ennore-Beach Road, died after his bike collided with another. In Kathirvedu, Sabakar, 31, who was riding a bike, was hit by an unknown vehicle. The police have registered a case. Ramalingam, 40, was run over by a lorry near Puzhal jail. Mohammad, 45, a resident of Porur, was hit by an autorickshaw in Kumananchavadi and died on the way to hospital. An elderly person was also killed in Poonamallee after being hit by an auto. Two inspectors, Jayachitra and Pushparaj, sustained minor injuries in accidents. Preventive drive The traffic police divided the city into 10 sectors and 110 vehicle checkpoints were placed. “We had identified 62 bike race-prone zones, including Wallajah Road, Adams Road, Thiru Vi Ka Bridge, Poonamallee High Road, Cathedral Road and New Avadi Road,” said a police source. A total of 42 drunken driving cases, 63 cases of rash driving, 159 of triple riding, 330 of speeding and 110 miscellaneous cases, including minors driving, were registered prior to 11 p.m. Last year, during the same drive, 263 drunken driving cases, 33 of rash driving, 233 of triple riding and 80 of speeding cases were registered. Many residents complained of speeding bikes in most parts of the city. “I live along the Old Mahabalipuram Road. On New Year’s eve, I saw policemen warning bikers, on the public announcement system, to ride slowly to avoid accidents. But no one seemed to be bothered. The roaring of bikes was a disturbance,” a resident said. Fewer injuries According to officials of GVK-EMRI, which operates the 108 ambulance service, there were a total of 113 road traffic accident cases from midnight to 12 noon on Wednesday in Chennai as against 147 cases last year. The four GHs received a fewer number of persons injured in accidents when compared to last year. Except for a few persons, who suffered fractures, the severity of injuries was less too, hospital authorities said. Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital treated 26 persons as out-patients and 22 as in-patients with minor injuries. Royapettah Hospital received 30 patients injured in RTAs and 22 injured in assaults. Kilpauk Medical College Hospital received 38 persons injured in accidents, 43 self-falls and 10 persons with burns that included cracker injuries. Stanley Medical College Hospital treated 30 patients, officials said.

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news, local-news, The death of a 65-year-old psychologist following kidney stone surgery at Calvary St Vincent's Hospital came after he was "belatedly" transferred to the hospital's high dependency unit, a coroner has found. The cause of Peter Golus's death on November 4, 2017, was a severe infection of the urinary tract. He was described by his son Zachary as being in good health prior to his death, Coroner Simon Cooper said in his findings into Dr Golus's death. IN OTHER NEWS: The surgery on November 3, conducted by urologist Robert Jensen, appeared to be successful. Dr Jensen did not observe any obvious infection in Dr Golus's urinary tract at the time of the procedure. After the surgery, Dr Golus was returned to the ward at 5.50pm. His vital signs were observed as being stable and medical notes indicated he was alert and declined pain relief at 6pm. But at 7pm, his temperature was rising and a phone call was made to Dr Jensen, who ordered blood cultures and a urine sample to be taken. The patient was complaining of abdominal pain by 1.30am. Dr Golus's condition continued to worsen as the morning wore on. Nursing staff contacted Dr Jensen about 2am after the patient's manual blood pressure had been recorded as low (84/60). Dr Jensen ordered saline to be given to Dr Golus. He was also administered 10 milligrams of morphine at 2.25 am to help with his lower abdominal pain. Mr Cooper said Dr Golus's blood pressure was observed as being at a "dangerously low" level of 60/40 at 2.50am. Dr Jensen instructed nursing staff to record observations of Dr Golus every five minutes, but Mr Cooper said this would have been better carried out in the hospital's high dependency ward. Mr Cooper noted that observations couldn't be carried out on the ward Dr Golus remained on either, due to staff-to-patient ratios being "comparable" to those in the high dependency unit. "At 6.45am, upon review of his overnight history, a decision was made by the St Vincent's Hospital morning shift coordinator for Dr Golus to be moved, belatedly in my view, to the hospital's high dependency unit," he said. By 8.20am, Dr Golus was unresponsive. He was transferred to the Launceston General Hospital but couldn't be revived and was pronounced dead about 10.15am. AJ Bell, a medical adviser to the coroner, reported that it was likely Dr Golus had developed septic shock by 2am on November 4. "Dr Bell ... noted that the medical records make it clear that Dr Golus' vital signs were recorded at 2.50am and then not again for 3 1/2 hours. I note, as pointed out above, this was despite an express direction (and patent need) for much more frequent observations," Mr Cooper said. https://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/PMyt2szQJhzzFrmM2wppBM/586868b3-a0b7-4ec9-8dc3-179a02bd2bfd.jpg/r6_0_1195_672_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg

MOR unearths paleontology lecture series, volcanic Yellowstone update Museum of the Rockies has turned its calendar to a new year, returning to business as usual with regular public events to accompany its many exhibits. Here’s a look at some upcoming happenings at our neighborhood museum. The first in the “Presenting Prehistory: Paleontology Speaker Series” will take place Wednesday, January 8th. MOR’s John R. Horner Curator of Paleontology Dr. John Scannella will present at 6pm. Discoveries made by paleontologists continue to shed new light on the deep past of the planet and the creatures that arose here. This series explores recent findings and current hypotheses as conveyed by scientists who are actively exploring how life on Earth has changed through time and what the fossils of extinct organisms can teach us about the world today. The next Science Inquiry Lecture, “The Yellowstone Volcano: News from the Front,” is set for Wednesday, January 15th. The presentation will begin at 7pm. What does front line research tell us about the current state of the immense volcano that makes up much of Yellowstone National Park? Dr. Michael Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, will discuss the geologic hazards of the Yellowstone region, activity that has been recorded in 2019, and recent research into how the Yellowstone volcanic system works. On Thursday, January 16th, the Extreme History Project Lecture series continues with “The Sort Who Make Good Citizens: Empire, An African American Community in Wyoming, 1908–1920” at 6pm. Further program information TBA. Please note: All held in Hager Auditorium, public lectures have a limited capacity and are free of admission on a first come, first served basis. Doors open 30 minutes prior to each. Attendees may not save seats for others. And later this month, a scaly new exhibit! Reptiles: The Beautiful and the Deadly opens January 25th. Reptiles have enduring appeal, and this interactive zoological exhibition will bring you eye to eye with living species from around the world. Deadly snakes, colorful lizards, unusual turtles and rugged crocodilians are exhibited in naturalistic habitats. You can “milk” a viper, learn to speak croc in under five minutes, and test your knowledge with “Turtle Trivia” or “Lizard Wizard.” An experienced zoo professional remains with the exhibit to care for the living collection. Members: join for an exclusive preview reception from 5:30–7pm on Jan. 24th to check out the new exhibit before it opens to the public! For more information about these events and the Museum exhibits, visit www.museumoftherockies.org. •

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Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 has started receiving Android 10 based on EMUI 10. The new update is rolling out in India with an all-new user experience (UX) and system-wide Dark Mode as well as brings proprietary features such as a Magazine Design and Morandi Colour, the Chinese company announced through a press release. The Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 also has a list of animation effects. To recall, the Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 was launched in the country back in August last year with EMUI 9.1 based on Android 9 Pie. As per the list of changes provided in the press release, the Android 10 update for the Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 brings a fresh look and feel through EMUI 10. The update carries the Magazine Design feature that is designed to curate on-screen into an engaging design style similar to a magazine. The update also has the Morandi colour scheme that is inspired by Italian painter Giorgio Morandi. The latest software version for the Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 also has a system-wide Dark Mode that is touted to optimise the colour of text, images, and on-screen icons to match a variety of different light levels and environments instead of simply reversing the colours to make the content dark. Further, Huawei has provided new animation effects that are aimed at providing users with an instant feedback to your hand on the phone. If you own a Huawei Y9 Prime 2019, you're likely to receive the notification to install the Android 10 update in the coming days. You can, however, manually go to the HiCare app on your phone to check the status of the fresh software. Huawei brought the Y9 Prime 2019 to India with EMUI 9.1 that included GPU Turbo 3.0 and the new EROFS (Extendable Read-Only File System) file system. The custom ROM also has new features and effects for the Huawei Vlog Editor to let users easily edit and share their vlogs online.

Honor 10 Lite users are reportedly receiving the Android 10 update in India. The update comes with version EMUI 10.0.0.159 (C675E17R1P3), and the update size in India is about 3.56GB. Because of the large update size, we recommend users to download the update under a strong Wi-Fi connection and install it while the phone is on charge. If you haven't received a notification yet, check for the OTA update in Settings manually to see if you've received it or not. Users can also upgrade via the HiCare app. The Android 10-based EMUI 10 rollout for Honor 10 Lite was first reported by RPRNA, and the report says that users in India are receiving the update. The beta testing for this update began in November last year, and now the company is rolling out the stable Android 10 update after testing it out for a couple of months. Users are also confirming the arrival of the EMUI 10 update on the forums in the country. The latest update brings new animation, dark mode, improved UI, magazine-style lock screen, and more. It brings new new capabilities relating to multi-screen collaboration, and enables phones to seamlessly communicate with other devices, including drones, televisions, smartwatches, and more. In addition to new UI elements, EMUI 10 also brings Huawei's Android Auto replacement – HiCar. The size of the update is mentioned to be at 3.56GB, so we recommend freeing up some space before you begin the process of installation. Check for the update by going to Settings > System > Software update > Check for Updates > Download and install. If you haven't received it just yet, you should see it in the coming days. You can also update using the HiCare app. Open the app, go to Me Section > Settings > Check for Updates. Ensure that you are on the latest version of the HiCare app.

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BOSTON – GasBuddy, the smartphone app helping consumers avoid paying full price for fuel, today predicts that 2020 will feature a yearly national average of $2.60 per gallon, representing a 2 cent drop versus 2019. At the same time, the fuel-cost tracking service warns that the national average will rise as much as 75 cents per gallon from a low in February until an eventual peak in May. This will lead to localized gas price hotspots that could lead unsuspecting motorists to pay as much as 15- to 50 cents more per gallon than competitors, according to GasBuddy. Some highlights from GasBuddy’s 2020 fuel price outlook include: The nation’s yearly gasoline bill will rise to $373 billion dollars, an increase of over $1 billion from last year as the average household sees their annual gasoline spending rise to $1,935. The national average is forecast to rise as much as 75 cents per gallon from a low in early February to a possible peak in May, as the seasonal switch to summer gasoline leads to notable jumps and causes some stations to raise prices much quicker than others, leading to buying opportunities for motorists who compare prices. 75% of the country’s largest metro areas are at risk for seeing average prices hit $3 per gallon at some point in 2020, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C. while four could see close to or over $4/gal: Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Seattle. “Hit the road, America! It will be another year where gasoline prices will be relatively affordable — but don’t close your eyes — the price variation between stations and states will approach record levels,” advises Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy . For those making resolutions, GasBuddy suggests shopping around at the pump and driving less aggressively: The savings could add up to $477 per year, or roughly $10 per tank. In addition, motorists can sign up for Pay with GasBuddy, a free program that links to your checking account and offers instant savings of up to 25 cents per gallon Find the full report linked here. Copyright 2020 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.

$3 gas is becoming a distant memory: Gas prices likely to stay steady in 2020 Show Caption Hide Caption Gas prices are cheapest on this day Gas prices can vary widely depending on when you fill up. USA TODAY For many American motorists, $3-a-gallon gasoline is becoming a distant memory. Americans are likely to pay an average of $2.60 a gallon in 2020, according to fuel savings app GasBuddy's annual forecast. On the whole, drivers haven't paid more than $3 nationwide since 2014, when prices averaged $3.36, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. (Prices along the West Coast and in Hawaii have skewed higher.) "It's another good year for Americans to pump," said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. "I would not expect the national average this year to hit $3." The highest national average price of gas was $4.11 on July 17, 2008, according to AAA. Why has the average cost of gas been below $3 for so long? The main reason is the nation's oil boom, coupled with increases in output in other countries. U.S. oil production spiked 38.6% from 8.84 million barrels a day in 2016 to 12.25 million in 2019 and is likely to rise to 13.18 million in 2020, according to the EIA. The United States produces so much oil that it exported more than it imported in September, the first month that has happened in recorded history. Emboldened by the strong economy and relatively low gas prices, Americans buy bigger vehicles and drive longer distances. Total vehicle miles traveled reached an all-time high in October, the latest period in which statistics were available, according to the U.S. Federal Highway Administration. The 12-month moving average was 3.25 trillion miles in October, up 7.9% since the same point in 2014. Why SUVs are getting bigger and bigger: GM, Toyota, Ford enlarge hefty vehicles 20 stocks to buy in 2020: Apple, Amazon and Disney are among favorites of Wall Street pros The lack of volatility in gas prices has played a significant role in America's SUV boom. SUVs represent about half of new vehicle sales, according to car buying research site Edmunds, while passenger cars make up about 3 in 10. As recently as 2013, it was the reverse. At that point, cars still made up nearly half of new vehicle sales, according to Ward's Automotive. But automakers such as General Motors, Ford Motor and Fiat Chrysler discontinued most of their passenger cars while betting big on SUVs. Why do gas prices vary station to station? Gas prices can vary from region to region, city to city, and even block to block, which can make it tough to find any logic in how prices are made. GeoBeats Despite the projected low gas prices, don't expect 2020 to pass without a few sharp swings. GasBuddy projected that prices would hit a low point of $2.41 in February, then rise to a peak of $2.84 in May. Prices typically rise in the lead-up to the summer travel season before falling through the end of the year. Although $3 gas is unlikely for the entire country this year, several major cities are projected to hit that threshold, including Chicago, New York, Phoenix, Miami, Boston, Detroit and Seattle. Three California cities are expected to top $4, according to GasBuddy: Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Francisco. California typically has the highest prices among the 48 contiguous states. The average American household is expected to pay $1,935 on gas in 2020, up $2 from 2019 but down from $2,489 in 2014, the last time gas topped $3 per gallon. Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.

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Eyeless kittens, 30-pound cat up for adoption in Michigan Two little kittens — who, sadly, lost more than their mittens — were up for adoption from the Michigan Humane Society in Detroit on New Year’s Eve. The 6-month-old feline sisters, Annie and Winnie, lost their sight shortly after birth when their eyes were removed because of health issues. Zack, a third cat in Howell, needs an owner who will help him lose some weight. Adopting pets with special needs will require more compassion and patience, but, animal experts say, they also can provide a special joy knowing that you are giving a pet who otherwise might not have been saved a better life. "Blind cats do just as well as sighted cats," said Michigan Humane Society Media Manager Anna Chrisman. "They play, they snuggle, they hang out, they run around like crazy. They act just like normal cats, but you just have to make a couple of accommodations for them." Read more: Detroit doughnut shop closes its doors — but says $15,000 could prompt reopening Police: Robert Carmack's blood alcohol content was 3 times legal limit during Oct. arrest One accommodation: They don't do well on the stairs. Another, they need to be in a home with furniture that won't get rearranged, and, in which the owner is willing to consider setting up some textured pathways that will let the cats know where they are going because, of course, they can't see. Since they were young, the two kittens had trouble with their sight, which was causing them pain, Chrisman said. So, to help them, she added, the humane society had no choice but to completely remove their eyes. Annie and Winnie, who are now bonded and must be adopted together, seem to have opposite personalities. Annie, who is gray and weighs just over 3 pounds, is an "action-packed cat," who is "ready to play, play, play," according to her humane society description. She can "get carried away sometimes and play too rough," and needs help following "the house rules of what is acceptable." However, Winnie, a brown tabby, is just over 4 pounds and very shy. She is "unsure of new situations," tends to not want to rush into any situation, is startled by noises, and when nervous, may spin in circles until calmed with gentle petting. Zack, also a shorthair, is 12 years old and weighs more than 30 pounds. He is on a special diet and needs an owner, Chrisman said, who will help him get healthy and slim down by eating right and getting enough daily exercise. Zack may be chunky, Chrisman said, but he's also a pretty cool cat. More information on the cats is available at www.michiganhumane.org/cats-and-kittens or 866-MHU-MANE.

SAN FRANCISCO – Two people were shot in San Francisco on New Year’s Eve, police said. Officers were called to the area of Franklin and Bay streets — near Fort Mason and only a few blocks from Ghirardelli Square — around 9:35 p.m. for a report of a shooting. They arrived to find two men with apparent gunshot wounds. The victims were rushed to a hospital, one with life-threatening injuries and the other with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. Police said the suspect is still at large as of Wednesday morning. Additional information about the shooting, including a motive, was not immediately available. DEVELOPING: Two men have been found with gunshot wounds near Lombard St & Franklin St after an apparent drive-by shooting. pic.twitter.com/FJlD21ew8z — Citizen San Francisco Bay Area (@CitizenAppSFO) January 1, 2020 Check back for updates.

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Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended the availability of relaxed terms for securitisation transactions or sale of assets by non-bank lenders to banks to June 30, 2020. The dispensation was earlier set to expire on Tuesday. The rules for securitisation transactions were first relaxed on November 29, 2018. In May 2019, the RBI had extended the dispensation till December 31 2019. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

The Delhi Traffic Police has issued an advisory for motorists expecting foggy days ahead and asked them to take precautions for safe commute in low visibility. The list of Do's advised motorists to check weather forecasts, drive slow, use low-beam lights, remain patient and use pavement markings. "Use your low-beam headlights. High beams reflect off the moisture droplets in the fog, making it difficult to see," said the advisory issued by Joint Commissioner (Traffic) of Police N S Bundela. The advisory suggests motorists to pull completely off the road in safe parking area if the fog is too dense. Motorists should avoid stopping on the travelled portion of the road as they could become the first link in a chain-reaction collision of vehicles. The advisory also advised drivers to refrain from sudden acceleration and passing other slow moving vehicles in a high speed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Video above is WPBF 25 News to Go, a look at the days top headlines and forecast.On Nov. 8, 2019, Lion Country Safari welcomed African lion cubs Atlas and Mara, the first cubs born at the preserve in almost 20 years.The cubs are currently spending bonding time with their mother Leela before making their big debut in the lion habitat. Atlas and Mara are Leela and K'wasi's first offspring. Video above is WPBF 25 News to Go, a look at the days top headlines and forecast. On Nov. 8, 2019, Lion Country Safari welcomed African lion cubs Atlas and Mara, the first cubs born at the preserve in almost 20 years. Advertisement The cubs are currently spending bonding time with their mother Leela before making their big debut in the lion habitat. Atlas and Mara are Leela and K'wasi's first offspring.

A litter of African lion cubs were born at Lion Country Safari on Nov. 8 of last year. These are the first cubs to be born at the animal attraction in nearly 20 years. The cubs, Atlas and Mara, are the children of mom, Leela, and dad, K'wasi. The cubs weigh about three pounds and are sightless and completely reliant on their mom for survival. They are spending time with Leela before being brought to exhibit on the preserve. "It will be about two weeks or so until the cubs will be intermittently visible to the public but Leela and the cubs will actually set the pace for this process, says Lion Country Safari Spokesperson Haley Passeser.

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Met police recorded 149 homicides in 2019 to 30 December, up from 135 in 2018 The number of homicides in London has hit a 10-year high and there has been a surge in knife and gang-related killings since 2014, figures show. The Metropolitan police recorded 149 homicides in 2019 up to 30 December. In five years the homicide rate has increased by more than 50%, from 94 cases in 2014. Despite the introduction of a raft of measures to tackle the problem, the 2019 total was up 10% on the 135 homicides recorded in 2018, and the rise was concentrated in the poorest areas. Figures for the rest of the country are not yet available but the second biggest force, West Midlands police, reported a fall from 51 murders in 2018 to 39 in 2019. Of those 39, 19 were stabbings and three were shootings. Greater Manchester police, the third biggest force in England and Wales, said it could not provide homicide statistics. Figures from the Mayor of London’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) reveal longer-term trends in the capital. Shooting deaths in London totalled four in 2014, rose to 15 in 2018 and fell back to 12 in 2019. Fatal stabbings numbered 55 in 2014 and have gone steadily up, reaching 90 in 2019, according to Met figures. Thirty-nine people aged under 25 were killed in 2014, 66 in 2017 and 46 last year. Killings linked to gang violence have more than doubled in the last five years, from 17 in 2014 to 44 in 2018 and 42 in 2019. The youngest victim of gang-related drug violence this year was Jaden Moodie, 14, stabbed nine times by a member of a rival drug gang in east London in January. Ben Bradford, a professor of global city policing at University College London, who is working with the Met and MOPAC, said drugs, austerity and a rise in violence in youth cultures were key factors. “The top two or three explanations have something to do with [firstly] trends in the drugs market – there has been an increase in competition. There is definitely something going on around 10 years of austerity. It can’t be a coincidence that the generation of boys who were eight, nine or 10 in 2010 is coming to fruition after cuts. “There is a group of young people who are just more ready to use knives then they would’ve been in the past. There is anecdotal evidence of people carrying to protect themselves. We need to look at the demographic of the individuals and the areas they come from. It is telling that certain parts of London, certain neighbourhoods, have been more prone to violence. They are poor, neglected and left behind.” London disproportionately shapes the national debate about crime. As violent crime increased, law and order increased in importance for voters, with the Conservatives promising to halt and then reverse the big cuts they inflicted on police numbers and budgets. Furthermore, as youth services were cut, school exclusions increased. Bradford also pointed to the increasing number of young males – the group most likely to offend – in London. “The population of London is very young. There is a bulge, an increase, in the young population.” Bradford added: “The problems we are talking about do not have a policing solution. Policing is quite good at keeping the lid on problems, but it can’t provide long-term solutions. That lies with health, education and social services and they have to provide the long-term solutions.” Numbers from MOPAC shows a peak of 216 homicides in 2003. Since 2008 the figure has not risen above 155 in a calendar year. New York City, which has a similarly sized population to London and a larger police force, has double the number of homicides, reaching more than 300 in 2019 by late December. Violent crime in London is likely to be a big issue in the mayoral election in 2020, and the Conservatives will try to attack the record of the Labour incumbent, Sadiq Khan, who is seeking a second term. Susan Hall, the leader of the Conservatives in the London assembly, said: “London deserves a mayor who will act to keep our city safe and prioritise Londoners’ safety above all else.” The Met said more officers coming on stream would help, and it planned further initiatives to tackle violence. “The Met is growing and we are on track to reach 32,000 officers by late summer 2020. As these new officers join our ranks, we will be able to have more impact and begin to reverse some of the challenges the service has experienced,” a spokesperson said. “We know that drug-dealing is inextricably linked with a high proportion of the violence seen on our streets. Therefore, we will continue to target those who exploit children and target the most vulnerable within our communities.” Homicides from domestic violence reached 23 in 2019, up from 18 in 2014 but below the peak of 31 deaths in 2015. Street homicides numbered 89, up from 72 the previous year. Those in people’s homes were down to 41, from 58 in 2018.

While it may seem as though 2019 was just one negative news story after another, it wasn’t all bad. While it may seem as though 2019 was just one negative news story after another, it wasn’t all bad. Amid the divisive politics, violent uprisings and devastating natural disasters there were moments of levity and, believe it or not, concrete improvements. It’s easy for good news to be overshadowed, so Global News has made a list. Here’s a look at some of the ways things improved last year. Rate of extreme poverty on the decline According to the United Nations, the rate of extreme poverty across the globe is on the decline. READ MORE: Pregnant teens face higher rates of depression, poverty and substance use, study says In its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) report for 2019, the organization said the share of the world’s population living in extreme poverty decreased to 10 per cent in 2015, from 16 per cent in 2010 and 36 per cent in 1990. According to the report, the 2018 rate of extreme poverty was down to 8.6 per cent. The report said that over the past 25 years, more than one billion people have lifted themselves out of poverty. Fewer children dying When it comes to child survival rates, the United Nations said the world has made “remarkable progress.” According to the SDG report, the under-five mortality rate has fallen by 49 per cent — from 77 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2000 to 39 deaths in 2017. The global neonatal mortality rate also fell from 31 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2000 to 18 deaths in 2017, representing a 41 per cent reduction. Striving for gender equality Each year the World Economic Forum releases a Gender Parity Report that benchmarks 153 countries on their progress towards gender parity. In its 2020 report, the forum found that overall, the quest for equality has improved. Of the countries ranked, 101 improved their scores over the previous year. The report said 25 countries have mostly closed the gender gap in education at 96.1 per cent. Health care was also close to parity at 95.7 per cent. It will, however, take 99.5 years to achieve gender parity worldwide — but that number is down from the 108 years projected in the forum’s 2018 index. READ MORE: Canada falls 3 spots in global gender parity rankings to 19th place While we may not see gender parity in our lifetime, a number of steps in the right direction were made this year: In January, a record 102 women took seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. In November, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed his second gender-balanced cabinet. Earlier this month, 34-year-old Sanna Marin was sworn in as prime minister of Finland. She now leads a coalition government with five women (four of whom are under the age of 35) occupying top spots. According to the United Nations, as of Jan. 1 2019, women’s representation in national parliaments ranged from 0 per cent to 61.3 per cent, averaging at 24.3 per cent, an increase of five percentage points since 2010. Health victories This year also saw a number of notable achievements when it comes to health: In March, doctors reported a London man appeared to become the second person ever to be cured of the AIDS virus after receiving a bone marrow transplant In October, the world’s first Ebola vaccination received conditional authorization in what the World Health Organization (WHO) called a “triumph for public health.” Later that month, the WHO announced a strain of polio known as poliovirus Type 3 (WPV3) was eradicated worldwide. A month later, the world’s first HIV-positive sperm bank launched in New Zealand. Researchers also unveiled a long-awaited therapy to treat cystic fibrosis that has proven to dramatically improve patients’ lung function, instead of just helping to manage symptoms.

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Your browser does not support the audio element. Your browser does not support the audio element. Dubai: Virat Kohli has picked his New Zealand counterpart Kane Williamson as the standout performer of the 2008 ICC Under-19 World Cup even though the event was dominated by his team and gave the India skipper his first taste of stardom. Kohli's India beat Williamson's New Zealand in a close semi-final of that edition, which also featured Ravindra Jadeja, Trent Boult and Tim Southee. "I remember playing against Kane (Williamson). He was someone who always stood out in the team, his batting ability was very different from the other players who were around. It is good to know that so many people from that batch, like Kane and Steve Smith, have played for their respective countries," Kohli was quoted as saying in a media release by the ICC. "The ICC U19 World Cup was a very important milestone in my career," said Kohli, who made 235 runs at an average of 47 in 2008. "It helped us get a good platform to build on and make our careers from thereon, so it holds a very important place in my mind and heart. It is very important to understand and respect the opportunity it provides to you." While Kohli was a star of the 2008 edition, the 2010 edition featured some of the future England superstars like Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and current skipper Joe Root. In fact, Root recollected how Stokes had batted India out with a match-winning hundred. The all-rounder peeled off 100 from 88 balls, including six sixes, to lift England to a total of 246 that they successfully defended and gave them a flawless group stage record in New Zealand. "We didn't get off to the best start in that India game but Ben played one of the best innings I'd ever seen for a player of that age," said Root. "It was on the first world stage you can play on " he made a brilliant hundred and we ended up winning the game against the tournament favourites, which was fantastic and great to be a part of. It was a launchpad for me and I played in a squad with a guys who are still in the team now, like Ben and James Vince." "To play alongside players like that, learn from them and watch them develop, to then go back and play against them in county cricket, meant we were always pushing each other to get better." Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Ben Stokes ' father, Ged, has been admitted to hospital in Johannesburg after suffering from what the ECB has termed "a serious illness". Ged, who has travelled to South Africa with other members of the Stokes family to watch Ben in action, was taken ill on Monday night. He remains in a critical condition. Ben was expected to spend Tuesday at his father's bedside and did not attend training. A decision on his participation in the Boxing Day Test will be made in due course. England's captain, Joe Root, said he was not sure if Stokes would be available, but had words of support for the allrounder. "All I want to do is stress the importance of respecting the privacy of Ben and his family," Root said. "All the players and the squad want to throw our support behind him. It's crucial that comes first. We've got extra people out here and we feel like we've got a good squad to put out a competitive team." Ged, a former New Zealand rugby league player, is in his early 60s and lives in Christchurch. He is a regular and popular figure at matches involving Ben and, on the face of things, appeared to be in robust good health.

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Six days after the shooting that resulted in the death of one Nnaemeka Nnabuenyi popularly known as “Onyeocha” at Umuokwu village in Alor, Idemili Council Area of Anambra State, a Citizens’ Group in the state has expressed worry over the bulk passing game between the security agencies as to the real killer of the deceased. Tragedy had struck on Christmas day at the residence of one Engineer Emeka Eze of Alor Community when security personnel initially said to be a Police Officer, fired gunshot at a cow in a bid to stop it from escaping but the bullet missed target and allegedly hit Nnaemeka who is a domestic staff of the said Engineer Emeka. In a swift reaction, the Anambra State Police Command through its Public Relations Officer, Haruna Mohammed debunked the allegation of Police involvement in the killing, stating that a DSS Personnel attached to a VIP, whose identity was yet unknown, fired the gunshot. The Command would later through the same source, urge the public to disregard its initial information as to the identity of the shooter, stating that investigation was ongoing. On the 27th of December, 2019, the DSS in Anambra issued a statement denying that its operative was responsible for the shooting, saying it was done by a local vigilante operative in the area. Reacting to the development, the Police Stakeholders Partnership Forum, PSPF in Anambra State, has called for thorough investigation to unmask the real shooter and bring him to justice. In a statement signed by the members, the group noted that a human life has been cut short prematurely and the Anambra State Police Command has a duty to conduct prompt, impartial and exhaustive investigation into cases of crime against the state, such as the one at hand with a view to ensuring that justice is done. The statement read; “In this particular case, credible investigation is warranted to unravel the truth, identify the person who carried out the shooting and the motive, and the matter charged to court in accordance with the law. Justice must be served for the victim, the perpetrator and the society, in accordance with the Anambra State Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2010”. Also speaking on the matter, a human rights lawyer, Barr Chekwube Umenwa described the bulk passing between the security agencies as not just unwarranted but disgusting, shameful and diversionary, adding that anything short of investigation is compounding felony. “Criminal law whether Federal or State has no provision for mediation in homicide cases, be it murder or manslaughter. Police has a duty to conduct investigation into the case at hand and come to a conclusion. Afterwards, if they establish a “prima facie” case against the suspect, they have to file the appropriate charge and arraign him. After arraignment, assuming the family of the deceased is in any way appeased by the suspect, it is only the Attorney General of Anambra State that can bring the case to a quick end by filing a “Nolle Prosequi” in the case, which means that the State has decided to let defendant go”, he noted.

15 USC 6502 : Regulation of unfair and deceptive acts and practices in connection with collection and use of personal information from and about children on the Internet Text contains those laws in effect on January 1, 2020 From Title 15-COMMERCE AND TRADE CHAPTER 91-CHILDREN'S ONLINE PRIVACY PROTECTION Jump To: Source Credit Effective Date §6502. Regulation of unfair and deceptive acts and practices in connection with collection and use of personal information from and about children on the Internet (a) Acts prohibited (1) In general It is unlawful for an operator of a website or online service directed to children, or any operator that has actual knowledge that it is collecting personal information from a child, to collect personal information from a child in a manner that violates the regulations prescribed under subsection (b). (2) Disclosure to parent protected Notwithstanding paragraph (1), neither an operator of such a website or online service nor the operator's agent shall be held to be liable under any Federal or State law for any disclosure made in good faith and following reasonable procedures in responding to a request for disclosure of personal information under subsection (b)(1)(B)(iii) to the parent of a child. (b) Regulations (1) In general Not later than 1 year after October 21, 1998, the Commission shall promulgate under section 553 of title 5 regulations that- (A) require the operator of any website or online service directed to children that collects personal information from children or the operator of a website or online service that has actual knowledge that it is collecting personal information from a child- (i) to provide notice on the website of what information is collected from children by the operator, how the operator uses such information, and the operator's disclosure practices for such information; and (ii) to obtain verifiable parental consent for the collection, use, or disclosure of personal information from children; (B) require the operator to provide, upon request of a parent under this subparagraph whose child has provided personal information to that website or online service, upon proper identification of that parent, to such parent- (i) a description of the specific types of personal information collected from the child by that operator; (ii) the opportunity at any time to refuse to permit the operator's further use or maintenance in retrievable form, or future online collection, of personal information from that child; and (iii) notwithstanding any other provision of law, a means that is reasonable under the circumstances for the parent to obtain any personal information collected from that child; (C) prohibit conditioning a child's participation in a game, the offering of a prize, or another activity on the child disclosing more personal information than is reasonably necessary to participate in such activity; and (D) require the operator of such a website or online service to establish and maintain reasonable procedures to protect the confidentiality, security, and integrity of personal information collected from children. (2) When consent not required The regulations shall provide that verifiable parental consent under paragraph (1)(A)(ii) is not required in the case of- (A) online contact information collected from a child that is used only to respond directly on a one-time basis to a specific request from the child and is not used to recontact the child and is not maintained in retrievable form by the operator; (B) a request for the name or online contact information of a parent or child that is used for the sole purpose of obtaining parental consent or providing notice under this section and where such information is not maintained in retrievable form by the operator if parental consent is not obtained after a reasonable time; (C) online contact information collected from a child that is used only to respond more than once directly to a specific request from the child and is not used to recontact the child beyond the scope of that request- (i) if, before any additional response after the initial response to the child, the operator uses reasonable efforts to provide a parent notice of the online contact information collected from the child, the purposes for which it is to be used, and an opportunity for the parent to request that the operator make no further use of the information and that it not be maintained in retrievable form; or (ii) without notice to the parent in such circumstances as the Commission may determine are appropriate, taking into consideration the benefits to the child of access to information and services, and risks to the security and privacy of the child, in regulations promulgated under this subsection; (D) the name of the child and online contact information (to the extent reasonably necessary to protect the safety of a child participant on the site)- (i) used only for the purpose of protecting such safety; (ii) not used to recontact the child or for any other purpose; and (iii) not disclosed on the site, if the operator uses reasonable efforts to provide a parent notice of the name and online contact information collected from the child, the purposes for which it is to be used, and an opportunity for the parent to request that the operator make no further use of the information and that it not be maintained in retrievable form; or (E) the collection, use, or dissemination of such information by the operator of such a website or online service necessary- (i) to protect the security or integrity of its website; (ii) to take precautions against liability; (iii) to respond to judicial process; or (iv) to the extent permitted under other provisions of law, to provide information to law enforcement agencies or for an investigation on a matter related to public safety. (3) Termination of service The regulations shall permit the operator of a website or an online service to terminate service provided to a child whose parent has refused, under the regulations prescribed under paragraph (1)(B)(ii), to permit the operator's further use or maintenance in retrievable form, or future online collection, of personal information from that child. (c) Enforcement Subject to sections 6503 and 6505 of this title, a violation of a regulation prescribed under subsection (a) shall be treated as a violation of a rule defining an unfair or deceptive act or practice prescribed under section 57a(a)(1)(B) of this title. (d) Inconsistent State law No State or local government may impose any liability for commercial activities or actions by operators in interstate or foreign commerce in connection with an activity or action described in this chapter that is inconsistent with the treatment of those activities or actions under this section. ( Pub. L. 105–277, div. C, title XIII, §1303, Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681–730 .) Effective Date

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Mugabe Ratshikuni says dire state of most municipalities is a window into ill-health of our society With local government being the coal face of all human development activities, the perilous state of most of our municipalities around the country is a window into the ill-health of our society, which demands urgent attention and intervention, if we are ever going to achieve our developmental objectives as a people. In the Free State, we were recently awakened to the reality of the provincial government placing Mangaung municipality under administration. In Gauteng, we are still to get a full picture of the mess that Herman Mashaba left the City of Johannesburg in, but the evidence is there for us all to see in mushrooming potholes everywhere, traffic lights not working, rubbish not being collected and neighbourhoods looking like dumping sites and of course perpetual water and power outages. The less said about Tshwane municipality, which has been put under administration by the provincial government, the better, with even basic services such as water proving too much for the municipality to provide to the extent that even the Human Rights Commission had to step in. Looking further afield to the Eastern Cape, one need only look at the complete shambles that is Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality to realise that we are in serious trouble as a people and in fact reading through Cristian Olver’s eye-witness account of the rot within that municipality, How To Steal a City, leaves one with a serious sense of foreboding. These are all issues that need to be tackled in a non-partisan manner, because to a large extent it is the partisan nature of our politics at a local government level, that has left service delivery in a state of inertia with entropy reigning and the interests of citizens being negatively affected. In reflecting upon all this, one was reminded of the words of renowned poet Walt Whitman, in his poem lamenting the state of affairs in his country at the time titled, To The State, “Why reclining, interrogating? why myself and all drowsing? What deepening twilight—scum floating atop of the waters, Who are they as bats and night-dogs askant in the capitol? What a filthy Presidentiad! (O South, your torrid suns! O North, your arctic freezings!) Are those really Congressmen? are those the great Judges? is that the President? Then I will sleep awhile yet, for I see that these States sleep, for reasons” Addressing an eThekwini Metro leadership breakfast session, in a 2015 speech with the profoundly germane theme, Building a Capable Municipality: How to Lead in a Politically Charged Environment, Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection Executive Director, Joel Netshitenzhe, made the following pertinent observations in seeking to provide solutions for the local government conundrum that we are faced with: The bureaucracy forms a critical part of the state: it is the infrastructure through which policy and technical imperatives find concrete expression. It is not apolitical, as it is meant to carry out the policy mandate of the party that wins elections. It should be non-partisan; but its functions are essentially political. We should avoid at all times conflating the party, the government and the state. While the bureaucracy is obliged to carry out the popular mandate as directed by the ruling party in any specific sphere, it has a broader responsibility in relation to society; in relation to the burghers of eThekwini (or any particular municipality)– from big and small business to workers and the unemployed – on matters pertaining to provision of municipal services. A critical element of this is the basic principle that governance should be based on clear rules which everyone must observe; and that there should be accountability – both upwards in relation to relevant supervisors and downwards in relation to staff and society in general – on the part both of the bureaucracy and the political principals. The bureaucracy should enjoy ‘embedded autonomy’: it should be networked in society to be able to give leadership to economic development; but it should be autonomous of any special interests. The bureaucracy should be staffed by competent, mission-oriented professionals, it should be “sufficiently insulated from the push and pull of special short-term interests”, corruption and political favours. The personnel should be career-bureaucrats, with the primary mode of recruitment and promotion being merit rather than political or personal connections. Expertise and competence should be highly prized and rewarded; and an independent perspective – as advisors to the political principals – should be cultivated. The bureaucracy should be non-partisan, but it is never apolitical as everything it does relates to politics in the broader sense To highlight this final point, Netshitenzhe gives an example of the UK, where during elections, political parties all release their manifestos, which are in essence, their contract with the people who vote for them, “the bureaucracy develops detailed plans on how the manifestos of at least the largest parties can be operationalised. This is crucial for the practical reason that a new government should able to hit the ground running; but it also entrenches a culture to ensure clear dove-tailing between bureaucratic pursuits and the popular mandate.” These are all very important principles that we must endorse, if we want to further enhance the efficacy of our municipalities and ensure that they can deliver on their Section 152 responsibilities, as it is the highly politicised and partisan nature of local government that is creating service delivery deficits that are a serious threat to the health of our democracy. It is these highly politicised and partisan local politics that have produced coalition governments and arrangements within our municipalities that advance narrow individual and party interests, with no regard whatsoever towards their Section 152 responsibilities, with the outcome being political instability that has a devastatingly negative impact on quality of life for ordinary citizens. We must fix local government if we are really serious about enhancing the capacity of the state to be developmental and impactful in aims and output, with the ultimate objective of improving the living conditions and quality of life of ordinary citizens, in line with the words once uttered by the Roman Senator, Marcus Tullius Cicero, “the good life is impossible without a good state; and there is no greater blessing than a well-ordered state.” Mugabe Ratshikuni works for the Gauteng provincial government. He is an activist with a passion for social justice and transformation. He writes here in his personal capacity.

(Newser) – An employee who found the equivalent of $20,000 in cash at a UK waste facility could've made a claim to the money if its owners weren’t found within six weeks. Instead, the staffer ensured an unwitting couple were significantly richer in time for Christmas. The New York Times has the story from Midsomer Norton, England, where a couple had dropped off boxes at a dump after cleaning out the home of a deceased relative, who had a habit of hiding cash. Upon discovering that one box containing a household item also contained a separate box with stacks of bills, a staffer at the facility alerted team members, who called police, then analyzed CCTV footage to see who had left the money behind. After using on-site license plate recognition cameras to identify a vehicle, officers interviewed a couple from Burnham-on-Sea, without revealing that anything had been found, until they were sure the money was theirs. "Shocked" that they'd unwittingly thrown out $20,000, the couple in their mid- to late 60s thanked the staffer who found the box with an undisclosed reward, per the Times. Police, meanwhile, praised employees' actions as going beyond the "reasonable enquiries" that would typically be expected. "Without their diligent attitude, integrity and assistance, the family would never have known about the money found, and we would not have been able to return it to them, especially in time for Christmas," a police statement reads, per Metro. (Read more uplifting news stories.)

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In a battle of strength vs. strength, No. 6 Oregon Ducks (11-2) will battle the Big 10 delegate No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers (10-3) at Rose Bowl Stadium in sunny Pasadena, California, for “The Granddaddy of Them All,” the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual. Oregon and Wisconsin are ranked back-to-back for scoring defense: Oregon is No. 9 in the country at 15.7 points allowed per game, and Wisconsin No. 10 at 16.1 points per game allowed. The Zack Baun–led Badgers, though, are No. 8 in FBS in total defense, allowing about 37 fewer yards a game that the 23rd-ranked Ducks defense. The Ducks will need their 11th-ranked rush defense to put in a masterful performance. Wisconsin’s All-American running back Jonathan Taylor has rushed for 1,909 yards for the season and could become the first player in over two decades—since Iowa State’s Troy Davis in 1995 and 1996—to reach 2,000 yards in consecutive seasons. “You just got to pursue to the ball and you got to gang tackle,” said Oregon defensive back Thomas Graham Jr., ESPN reported. “He’s a running back that is special in so many ways. I think he’s like top five in the nation in broken tackles [and] his offensive line blocks [with] very good form.” Here’s how to watch Wisconsin vs. Oregon in the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual. Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual Location: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California Date: Jan. 1, 5pm ET Streaming: ESPN How to stream Oregon vs. Wisconsin live: Watch the Rose Bowl The following services offer a one-week trial. How to use AirTV with Sling AirTV solves one of Sling’s biggest problems: The inability to receive all of your local channels. By purchasing a basic AirTV for $79.99 or the AirTV Player for $119.99, you can merge those local channels into your Sling TV, (or on your mobile device if you have the basic AirTV). As the Daily Dot wrote in its AirTV review, “It’s practically magic.” The basic AirTV is a dual-tuner streaming device, while the AirTV Player is basically an upgraded Chromecast that has Netflix preinstalled. You’ll still need to own an HD antenna because even though AirTV gets you access to your local channels, it doesn’t actually physically show them to you. But AirTV—which has no monthly fee—serves to strengthen one of Sling’s biggest weaknesses compared to other live streaming services like Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, and PlayStation Vue. All those services have plenty of local channels. While select NFL and college football games (on Fox, FS1, and FS2) are no longer on Sling, you can still catch Fox games with AirTV. TRY AIRTV Cost: $54.99 per month $54.99 per month Hulu devices : Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, and iOS and Android devices Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, and iOS and Android devices Hulu local channels: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, the CW (check your local availability here) Hulu with Live TV includes sports programming among its offerings, including ESPN and FS1, and as a subscriber to the service, you’ll get free access to Hulu’s sizable on-demand library. (Check out the full list of Hulu Live TV channels.) TRY HULU WITH LIVE TV YouTube TV is a great option for college football: Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS, FS1, FS2, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN News, and ESPNU are all here and offer a nearly 360 programming platter of action. (Take a look at the full list of YouTube TV channels here.) TRY YOUTUBE TV Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual: Notes Wisconsin edge Zack Baun has significantly improved his draft stock and will attempt to make the most of the bowl game by being a force against Oregon’s talented offensive line. He’s had issues staying on the field for the Badgers, so any tape—especially against decent-to-good offensive lines—is crucial for his draft positioning. Baun having a great day does not equal a Wisconsin win because he’s not necessarily unblockable, requiring consistent double teams, but it will help considerably. Wisconsin EDGE and Senior Bowler Zack Baun is probably the player who has exceeded my expectations most on final film review. Bend isn't great, but when you can soften rush angles and force OTs into recovery position as quickly as Baun does, you don't need elite bend! 🔊🔊🔊 pic.twitter.com/3CLooda2NW — Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) December 28, 2019 New to cord-cutting? Here are our picks for the best movie streaming sites of 2018 and free live TV apps and channels. If you’re looking for a specific channel, here’s how to watch HBO, Showtime, Starz, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, AMC, FX, Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, CNBC, FS1, TBS, TNT, Golf Channel, Syfy, HGTV, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, Bravo, Lifetime, Discovery, PBS, the CW, BBC, CSPAN, NBA TV, MTV, Comedy Central, Food Network, TLC, the Weather Channel, and NFL RedZone without cable, as well as free movies on YouTube. If you’re on the move, here’s how to watch Fox Sports Go and live stream NBC Sports. The Daily Dot may receive a payment in connection with purchases of products or services featured in this article. Click here to learn more.

It’s been a tough stretch for Arsenal, even as new manager Mikel Arteta has helped show the Gunners the light at the end of the Premier League holiday fixtures tunnel. Can Arsenal get the win it needs on New Year’s Day? Or will this match be a further indication that Manchester United has its season back on track? This is the best and last of a full slate of Premier League matches on the first day of 2020. Here’s everything you need to know to stream Arsenal vs. Manchester United live. Arsenal vs. Manchester United When: 3pm ET, Wednesday, Jan. 1 3pm ET, Wednesday, Jan. 1 Where: Emirates Stadium in London, England Emirates Stadium in London, England Streaming: NBCSN, NBC Sports Gold Arsenal vs. Manchester United live stream: How to watch Premier League matches The match is on NBCSN and NBC Sports Gold; these streaming services provide fans the opportunity to catch Premier League action throughout the season. Sling TV provides two base channel package options, each priced at $30 per month. Sling Orange includes three ESPN channels, while Sling Blue includes sports channels like NBCSN (where many Premier League matches appear), NFL Network, and local channels. (Sling Blue customers in select markets get NBC, where some matches appear; see if yours has it here. Sling Blue also brings Fox News Channel, MSNBC, and Headline News as part of its regular slate of channels, with Fox Business Channel available for those who get the Sling Blue News Extra add-on. If you’re Team “Why Not Both,” Sling Orange + Blue combines the two for just $45 per month. Other features include a Free Cloud DVR tier for all subscribers (allowing 10 hours of recording a month), the ability to record all live linear channels, and no VOD preemption on any channels. New subscribers get $10 off the first month. To add beIN SPORTS and maximize your soccer-watching potential, you’ll want to add either Sports Extra: Sling Orange ($5 per month) or Sports Extra: Sling Blue ($10 per month). (The latter also includes NFL RedZone.) Spanish-speaking viewers have quite a few options. For bilingual families, you might consider the Español: Best of Spanish TV package for either Sling Orange or Sling Blue for 24/7 specialty channel LaLiga TV and beIN SPORTS Connect: Channels 4-9, which features matches from La Liga, Ligue 1 and Copa del Rey, among others. Both packages cost $5 per month after your free trial. Sling TV Latino is another Spanish-language package for $10 per month, including NBC Universo, History en Español, and—of import to soccer fans—four beIN SPORTS channels. (And choosing Best of Spanish + Sling Orange for $35 per month gives you access to ESPN Deportes.) For more information, check out our guide to Sling TV channels and our Sling TV review. TRY SLING TV Cost: $44.99 for your first month and $54.99 per month thereafter FuboTV devices : Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Android TV, iOS and Android devices Local channels: ABC, Fox, NBC, CBS, the CW (in some markets) (check local availability here ) FuboTV is a solid TV streaming service option, whether your tastes run to entertainment (AMC, Syfy, FX), news (MSNBC, CNN), or sports (NBA TV, NFL Network). If you’re a soccer fan, however, it will appear tailor-made for you, with NBC and NBCSN for Premier League matches, 10 beIN SPORTS channels, FS1, FS2, UniMás, and Champions League action via TNT all on tap. If you can’t watch a match live, FuboTV offers a three-day replay for each match and 30 hours of cloud DVR. (Check out the complete FuboTV channels list.) FuboTV also has bilingual families in mind; each subscription comes with UniMás, Galavisión, NBC Universo, beIN SPORTS, Univision, and Fox Deportes. An extra $7.99 per month will bring you Latino Plus, which includes CNN en Español and TyC Sports among its offerings. TRY FUBOTV Cost: $54.99 per month Hulu devices : Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, and iOS an d Android devices Hulu local channels: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, the CW (check your local availability here ) Hulu with Live TV includes sports programming among its broad spectrum of offerings, and as a subscriber to the service, you’ll get free access to Hulu’s sizable on-demand library. (Check out the full list of Hulu Live TV channels.) TRY HULU WITH LIVE TV YouTube TV is a great option for soccer fans, including TNT for Champions League matches, NBC and NBCSN for Premier League matches, and broadcasting partnerships with three MLS teams. (Take a look at the full list of YouTube TV channels here.) TRY YOUTUBE TV Cost: $50-$135 per month Hulu devices: Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, iOS and Android devices Local channels: NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC, the CW ( enter your ZIP code here to check your availability) AT&T TV Now is a bonus for AT&T wireless customers, especially for those who happen to be soccer fans. It provides instant access to more than 45 channels, including local channels. That means NBC as well as NBCSN for Premier League action, Fox as well as FS1 and FS2 for MLS, Bundesliga, the U.S. men’s and women’s teams, and even Liga MX offerings, and ESPN and ESPN2 for its array of soccer and other sports programming. It even offers free HBO on PLUS and MAX channel suites. Plus, it comes with CloudDVR for up to 20 hours of TV recording per month. One account works on two devices, but you can add more devices for only $5. TRY AT&T TV NOW Cost: $39.99 (for Matchday Pass option); $64.99 (for Premier League Pass option) NBC Sports Gold TV devices: Google Chromecast , Roku , Apple TV , Android TV , Amazon Fire TV, iOS and Android device. If you want access to every Premier League game this season, you’ll want an NBC Sports Gold subscription. At the Matchday Pass tier, for $39.99, you get access to 140 exclusive live matches, with at least four for each of the 20 clubs. The Premier League Pass option gives you an option to replay matches, in case you can’t catch a match live, and offers additional programming, including analysis and highlights. NBC Sports Gold offers additional packages for fans who want to follow rugby action, the PGA tour, Indy Car racing, cycling, and lacrosse. TRY NBC SPORTS GOLD Arsenal vs. Manchester United: Preview, recent form, odds, upcoming fixtures Arsenal (Last 5 Premier League matches: WLDDL) lost a 2-1 heartbreaker to Chelsea over the weekend to drop to 12th in the table. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang got the opening goal in Arsenal’s impressive first-half performance, but the defense gave up two late goals to absorb yet another defeat. The first goal came courtesy of Jorginho, who many thought should have been off for a second yellow, and the second goal was the result of a mistake from the much-maligned Shkodran Mustafi, who suffered a head-to-head collision just moments before. Yet the fact remains: Arsenal has now just one win in its last 12 Premier League matches. These are the dark times. Manchester United (Last 5 Premier League matches: WDLWW) bounced up to fifth in the standings with a 2-0 win over Burnley. Anthony Martial, on a bit of a roll lately, scored the opener, with Marcus Rashford providing a late insurance goal in stoppage time. While it’s still a bit more of a climb to break into the top four, United only finds itself four points behind an inconsistent Chelsea squad heading into the New Year. Odds The William Hill oddsmakers call this one pretty even: Arsenal’s at +170 odds (wager $100 to win $170), United’s a slightly more favored foe at +150, and a draw is set for +260. Upcoming Fixtures Arsenal, Monday, Jan. 6 vs. Leeds United (FA Cup); Saturday, Jan. 11 at Crystal Palace (Premier League) Manchester United, Saturday, Jan. 4 at Wolves (FA Cup); Tuesday, Jan. 7 vs. Manchester United (League Cup) READ MORE: The Daily Dot may receive a payment in connection with purchases of products or services featured in this article. Click here to learn more.

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kamisoka/iStock(NEW YORK) — From tourist centers to town squares, revelers across the world welcomed the new decade as they rang in the year 2020 Tuesday night. In New York City, nearly a million and a half people jammed Times Square to watch the traditional ball drop. Confetti fell from the skies as revelers sang along to Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York.” President Donald Trump, celebrating the new year in Florida at his Mar-a-Lago resort, took to Twitter to post “HAPPY NEW YEAR!” In Moscow, celebrants enjoyed unseasonably warm weather as they jammed Red Square for a fireworks display over the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered his traditional new year’s greeting just moments before the clock struck midnight, saying, “As we look forward with excitement to the chiming of the bells, we believe and hope that all our wishes are bound to come true.” In London, fireworks lit up the sky above the London Eye observation wheel on the River Thames as tens of thousands looked on. Crowds in Paris filled the Champs-Élysées to watch fireworks soar over the specially-illuminated Arc de Triomphe as lasers shot from the historic arch. Revelers in Pyongyang, North Korea, celebrated with music and dancing in Kim Il Sung square. In Brazil, fireworks rose over Rio de Janeiro’s famous Copacabana beach as an estimated two million people jammed the shore and the surrounding area. Revelers in Seattle, however, had to make due with a much quieter celebration, as high winds delayed the fireworks display that organizers had planned for the city’s Space Needle observation tower. When the clock struck midnight, celebrants were instead treated to a laser light show set to music. In Rome, pilgrims crowded St. Peter’s Square to greet the Pope Francis, who called for kindness and understanding in his New Year’s Eve address. God “delights in seeing how many acts of good are done every day,” the pope said. “We are called to encounter others and to listen to their existence, their cry for help. Listening is already an act of love.” Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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Pulse Oximeters Market Share, Size, Regional Trend, Future Growth, Leading Players Updates, Industry Demand Forecast to 2025 Posted on Jan 2 2020 6:56 AM "Global Pulse Oximeters Market 2019 | Analysis, Latest Innovations, Impacting Factors, Growth Opportunities, Drivers, Dynamics And Strategic Research, Challenges By 2025" The Global Pulse Oximeters Market is likely to grow in the coming years due to increasing usage clearances from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). According to a report published by Fortune Business Insights, titled 'Pulse Oximeters: Global Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2018-2025, the market is likely to reach US$ 2,657.6 Mn by the end of 2025. Fortune Business Insights states that the market was valued at US$ 1,587.3 Mn in 2017 and will exhibit a CAGR of 6.7% in the forecast period. Masimo's Approval for Radius PPG to Trigger Growth In 2019, Masimo received clearance for its latest pulse oximeter. The ‘Radius PPG' was approved by the FDA after establishing efficient results through clinical trials. The Radius PPG represents a significant breakthrough in the healthcare industry, particularly for the diagnosis and study of oxygen levels in the blood. The wireless ability allows users to move freely even when they are being examined with the device. Get Request Sample [email protected] https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/pulse-oximeters-market-100528 Masimo's wireless oximeter has gained huge popularity owing to its wireless functions and it is likely that the global pulse oximeters market will benefit from the subsequently rising demand for the Radius PPG. Radius' ability to display blood oxygen values on external third party display devices, in addition to Masimo's inbred host display devices are likely to boost the growth of the global market. iHealth's Wristworn Pulse Oximeter to Witness Massive Demand iHealth's wrist-worn pulse oximeter's wide end user coverage can be attributed to its clinical efficacy and most importantly, its ease of use. The device is available on e-commerce websites such as Amazon and the ease of availability for iHealth's latest device is a leading factor that has contributed to the growth of the global market. The device can continuously monitor blood oxygen saturation levels along with the pulse rate, both within a short span of time. The device is integrated with a LED display that shows the oxygen saturation readings. The device operated through the emission of infrared light onto the blood vessels of the fingertip. The device has won over many users and the increasing demand has led to the distribution on online retail chains as well as offline stores. iHealth's latest device is likely to boost the global pulse oximeter market in the forthcoming years. Browse Complete Report [email protected] https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/pulse-oximeters-market-100528 Some of the Main Key Players Covered in the Report Omron Healthcare, Inc. Philips Benelux General Electric Manufacturing Company (GEMAC) Masimo Messe Düsseldorf GmbH Vyaire Medical Opto Circuits India Ltd. Medtronic Nonin Medical, Inc Masimo and Mindray Announce Partnership to Extend Sales Outside the US In May 2019, Masimo and Shenzhen Mindray Biomedical Electronics announced that they have reached an agreement to extend the distribution of Masimo's devices. Through this agreement, Mindray will offer sales and distribution options in countries other than the United States. The increasing demand for Masimo's wrist-worn pulse oximeters has triggered this agreement, which in turn is likely to favor growth of the global market in the forthcoming years. The report profiles several companies operating in the market and studies their growth strategies with regards to product launches and strategic collaborations. This is intended at evaluating the impact of these strategies on the overall market. In the report, Fortune Business Insights has profiled a few companies that are operating in the global pulse oximeter market. Some of the leading companies that have been identified as significant growth contributors are GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, Koninklijke Philips N.V, Masimo, Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, VYAIRE, Opto Circuits (India) Limited, Medtronic, Omron Healthcare, Inc., Nonin, and B Smiths Group plc. TOC Followed by: 5. Global Pulse Oximeters Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2014-2025 5.1. Key Findings / Summary 5.2 Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Type 5.2.1 Fingertip Oximeters 5.2.2 Tabletop Oximeters 5.2.3 Handheld Oximeters 5.2.4 Others 5.3. Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By End User 5.3.1 Hospitals 5.3.2 Clinics and Ambulatory Surgery Centers 5.3.3 Home Healthcare 5.3.4 Others 5.4. Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Country 5.4.1 North America 5.4.2 Europe 5.4.3 Asia Pacific 5.4.4 Latin America 5.4.5 Middle East and Africa 6. North America Pulse Oximeters Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2014-2025 6.1. Key Findings / Summary 6.2. Market Analysis By Type 6.2.1 Fingertip Oximeters 6.2.2 Tabletop Oximeters 6.2.3 Handheld Oximeters 6.2.4 Others 6.3. Market Analysis By End User 6.3.1 Hospitals 6.3.2 Clinics and Ambulatory Surgery Centers 6.3.3 Home Healthcare 6.3.4 Others 6.4. Market Analysis By Country 6.4.1 U.S. 6.4.2 Canada 7. Europe Pulse Oximeters Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2014-2025 7.1. Key Findings / Summary 7.2. Market Analysis By Type 7.2.1 Fingertip Oximeters 7.2.2 Tabletop Oximeters 7.2.3 Handheld Oximeters 7.2.4 Others 7.3. Market Analysis By End User 7.3.1 Hospitals 7.3.2 Clinics and Ambulatory Surgery Centers 7.3.3 Home Healthcare 7.3.4 Others 7.4. Market Analysis By Country 7.4.1 Germany 7.4.2 U.K. 7.4.3 France 7.4.4 Italy 7.4.5 Spain 7.4.6 Scandinavia 7.4.7 Rest of Europe 8. Asia Pacific Pulse Oximeters Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2014-2025 8.1. Key Findings / Summary 8.2. Market Analysis By Type 8.2.1 Fingertip Oximeters 8.2.2 Tabletop Oximeters 8.2.3 Handheld Oximeters 8.2.4 Others 8.3. Market Analysis By End User 8.3.1 Hospitals 8.3.2 Clinics and Ambulatory Surgery Centers 8.3.3 Home Healthcare 8.3.4 Others 8.4. Market Analysis By Country 8.4.1 India 8.4.2 China 8.4.3 Japan 8.4.4 Australia 8.4.5 Southeast Asia 8.4.6 Rest of Asia Pacific More Trending Topics from Future Business Insights: Thrombin Market to be valued at US$ 738.7 Mn by 2025, Contributions from Baxter and Pfizer to drive Growth, says Fortune Business Insights Spinal Cord Stimulation Market to reach US$ 4,236.2 Mn by 2026, exhibiting a CAGR of 8.1% | Exclusive Report by Fortune Business Insights Retinal Disease Therapeutics Market to Reach US$ 21,318.0 Mn by 2026, Advancements in Retinal Disease Diagnosis Devices to Boost the Market, says Fortune Business Insights About Us: Fortune Business Insights offers expert corporate analysis and accurate data, helping organizations of all sizes make timely decisions. We tailor innovative solutions for our clients, assisting them address challenges distinct to their businesses. Our goal is to empower our clients with holistic market intelligence, giving a granular overview of the market they are operating in. Our reports contain a unique mix of tangible insights and qualitative analysis to help companies achieve sustainable growth. Our team of experienced analysts and consultants use industry-leading research tools and techniques to compile comprehensive market studies, interspersed with relevant data. At Fortune Business Insights we aim at highlighting the most lucrative growth opportunities for our clients. We, therefore, offer recommendations, making it easier for them to navigate through technological and market-related changes. Our consulting services are designed to help organizations identify hidden opportunities and understand prevailing competitive challenges. 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: [email protected]

(MENAFN- America News Hour) Market Study Report Provides A Detailed Overview Of Fencing Market With Respect To The Pivotal Drivers Influencing The Revenue Graph Of This Business Sphere. The Current Trends Of Fencing Market In Conjunction With The Geographical Landscape, Demand Spectrum, Remuneration Scale, And Growth Graph Of This Vertical Have Also Been Included In This Report. According to a new research the Fencing market is anticipated to reach over USD 40,730 million by 2026. Request a sample of this premium report titled at: https://www.marketstudyreport.com/request-a-sample/1695016?utm_source=marketwatch.com & utm_medium=ADS In 2017, the metal fencing segment dominated the global market, in terms of revenue. North America is expected to be the leading contributor to the global market revenue during the forecast period. Improvement in lifestyle due to rise in income level, especially in the developing countries of Asia-Pacific fuels the demand for Fencings market. Enhancement of public infrastructure such as parks, museums, and other structures by governments, along with growth in the global construction industry would support the market growth in the coming years. A significant increase in disposable income, and construction and renovation of residential buildings drive the growth of this market. Other driving factors include growth in global construction industry, enhanced safety concerns, and development of public infrastructure. The increasing investments by governments for enhancing public infrastructure such as parks, public places, and government premises further supports market growth. Increasing demand in developing nations is expected provide numerous growth opportunities to the market players during the forecast period. The different materials used for fencing include wood, metal, concrete, plastic, and others. In 2017, the metal fencing segment accounted for the highest market share. The increasing demand for metal fencing in public places, government organizations, and commercial buildings for enhanced safety and security purposes drives the growth of this segment. North America generated the highest revenue in the market in 2017, and is expected to lead the global market throughout the forecast period. The growing construction sector and high disposable income drives the market growth. The increasing trend of design and aesthetics supports the market growth in the region. Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period owing to increasing disposable incomes in developing countries of this region, and increase in construction of commercial buildings in this region. The well-known companies profiled in the report include Allied Tube & Conduit, Jerith Manufacturing Company Inc., Poly Vinyl Creations Inc., Associated Materials LLC, CertainTeed Corporation, Fogarty PVC Fencing, Veka AG, Planet Polynet, Hoover Fence, and Ameristar Fence Products Incorporated 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. Request a discount on standard prices of this premium report titled at: https://www.marketstudyreport.com/check-for-discount/1695016?utm_source=marketwatch.com & utm_medium=ADS Table of Contents: 1. Overview and Scope 1.1. Research goal & scope 1.2. Research assumptions 1.3. Research Methodology 1.3.1. Primary data sources 1.3.2. Secondary data sources 1.4. Key take-away 1.5. Stakeholders 2. Executive Summary 2.1. Market Definition 2.2. Market Segmentation 3. Fencing Market Insights 3.1. Fencing ? Industry snapshot 3.2. Fencing - Ecosystem analysis 3.3. Fencing Market Dynamics 3.3.1. Fencing ? Market Forces 3.3.1.1. Fencing Market Driver Analysis 4. Fencing Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Material 4.1. Key Findings 4.2. Wood 4.3. Metal 4.4. Concrete 4.5. Plastic 4.6. Others 5. Fencing Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Application 5.1. Key Findings 5.2. Boundary Fencing 5.3. Privacy Fencing 5.4. Temporary Fencing 5.5. Others 6. Fencing Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by End-User 6.1. Key Findings 6.2. Residential 6.3. Agriculture 6.4. Government 6.5. Defense 6.6. Transportation 6.7. Energy and Power 6.8. Others 7. Fencing Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Region 7.1. Key Findings 7.2. North America 7.2.1. U.S. 7.2.2. Canada 7.2.3. Mexico 7.3. Europe 7.3.1. Germany 7.3.2. UK 7.3.3. France 7.3.4. Italy 7.3.5. Rest of Europe 7.4. Asia-Pacific 7.4.1. China 7.4.2. India 7.4.3. Japan 7.4.4. Rest of Asia-Pacific 7.5. Latin America 7.5.1. Brazil 7.6. Middle East & Africa Questions? Get them answered via https://www.marketstudyreport.com/enquiry-before-buying/1695016?utm_source=marketwatch.com & utm_medium=ADS before taking a buying decision on this premium report titled Fencing Market [By Material (Wood, Metal, Concrete, Plastic, Others); By Application (Boundary Fencing, Privacy Fencing, Temporary Fencing, Others); By End-User (Residential, Agriculture, Government, Defense, Transportation, Energy and Power, Others); By Region]: Market Size & Forecast, 2017 – 2026 About Us: Marketstudyreport.com allows you to manage and control all corporate research purchases to consolidate billing and vendor management. You can eliminate duplicate purchases and customize your content and license management. Contact Us: Market Study Report LLC 4 North Main Street, Selbyville, Delaware 19975 USA Phone: 1-302-273-0910 US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150 Email: Website: https://www.marketstudyreport.com Blog: https://www.marketstudyreport.com/blog Market Study Report LLC Marketstudyreport.com allows you to manage and control all corporate research purchases to consolidate billing and vendor management. You can eliminate duplicate purchases and customize your content and license management.

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Montreal: At least three military police officers were ordered to play Pokemon Go in Canadian bases across the country, after players invaded the facilities in a quest to catch them all. The interlopers were not foreign agents but fans of the wildly popular Pokemon Go app — launched in 2016 — trying to capture as many of the game's virtual characters as possible and even wandering into restricted army areas. A surge in the number of suspects being apprehended in the summer after the game's release puzzled the army, according to internal documents obtained by Canadian public television channel CBC. "Please advise the Commissionaires that apparently Fort Frontenac is both a PokeGym and a PokeStop," Major Jeff Monaghan at Canadian Forces Base Kingston wrote. "I will be completely honest in that I have not idea what that is," he said in a message among the nearly 500 pages of military documents obtained by CBC under an access to information request. At least three military police officers, at different bases across the country, were assigned to wander around army facilities with phones and notebooks in hand to search for virtual Pokemon infrastructure and characters. "We should almost hire a 12-year-old to help us out with this," wrote security expert David Levenick at CFB Borden in Ontario, 100 kilometers (60 miles) northwest of Toronto. At the entrance to the base, one woman was caught playing Pokemon Go while her three children were climbing over tanks. A man separately arrested at CFB Borden explained he was just collecting points playing Pokemon Go and told officers: "I have to beat my kids." Shortly after the release of Pokemon Go, the armed forces even had to issue a public notice warning players not to venture onto military bases. But some saw a positive side to the influx of Pokemon hunters. "Maybe some extra people will visit the museum!," wrote Major Alicia Saucier at CFB Petawawa, Ontario, where the garrison museum was a game hotspot. Get the best of News18 delivered to your inbox - subscribe to News18 Daybreak. Follow News18.com on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, TikTok and on YouTube, and stay in the know with what's happening in the world around you – in real time.

Just before midnight on July 10, 2016, Master Cpl. Daniel Boyd of the Canadian military police spotted something suspicious. He was on duty at Canadian Forces Base North Bay, about 350 kilometers north of Toronto. In the darkness, two men in a van driving near the edge of the base made a U-turn and headed deeper into the military facility. Boyd followed. The van stopped. Inside, the men were looking at their smartphones. Boyd walked to the driver's window. It turned out they were playing Pokemon Go, and their pursuit of Pikachu led them onto the air force base. Documents obtained by CBC News show the curiosity and confusion shared by Canadian military officials after the 2016 launch of Pokemon Go, which was sending civilians onto Department of Defence property searching for "mythical digital creatures." Pokemon Go was a mobile app that launched in Canada on July 17, 2016, but it was launched July 7 in the United States and was downloadable globally by users who knew how to fool their phone into thinking it was in the U.S. One page from the package of documents disclosed to CBC News following an access to information request filed in July 2016. (Brett Ruskin / CBC News) The app encouraged users to explore their communities, viewing the world through their phone's screen. Virtual creatures and items appeared in real-life locations. Some locations were military bases. Within days of the app's launch, the Canadian Armed Forces had to issue a public warning: Pokemon Go users should keep off military property. CBC News filed an access to information request after the warning was issued. Now, nearly 3½ years later, the Department of National Defence has disclosed 471 pages of internal files on the subject. 'Taking off like gangbusters' Most of the emails expressed curiosity and confusion about the new game. "Plse advise the Commissionaires that apparently Fort Frontenac is both a PokeGym and a PokeStop. I will be completely honest in that I have not idea what that is," wrote Maj. Jeff Monaghan at CFB Kingston. "The game's premise seems to be going to the 'PokeStops/Gyms' to collect 'Pokemon's' (we should almost hire a 12-year-old to help us out with this) of which we were able to find 5 of these things on the range road itself," wrote security expert David Levenick at CFB Borden, Ont., 100 kilometers northwest of Toronto. "There's a game out there taking off like gangbusters, and it requires people to move to digitally cached locations to get points, etc.," wrote Lieut. Col. Richard Raymond at CFB Petawawa, west of Ottawa. Eight days after Pokemon Go launched, the military police in Canada issued a criminal intelligence advisory. An advisory sent on July 15, 2016, to all military police officers, warned of people trying to get onto to DND property while playing Pokemon Go. The notice was sent to all military police officers. It said: "It has been discovered that several locations within DND/CAF establishments are host to game landmarks (PokeStops and Gyms) and its mythical digital creatures (Pokemon)." 10 days after launch: kids on tanks In the weeks after the app's launch, military police across the country suddenly saw a spike in suspicious activity. "One lady at the Worthington Tank Park was playing the game whilst the 3 children with her were climbing all over the tanks," wrote Levenick at CFB Borden. This tank outside the CFB Borden Military Museum, near Worthington Tank Park, was the site of a Pokestop, where players could retrieve virtual items. (Wikimedia Commons) At CFB Greenwood in Nova Scotia, documents show a report of a vehicle "acting suspiciously in the Canex [store] parking lot." When police investigated, they found the occupants were playing the game. When a man was stopped on CFB Borden, documents show he was playing Pokemon Go and told officers "I have to beat my kids [get more points]." At least three military police officers (at CFB Comox in British Columbia, CFB Petawawa and CFB Kingston) were assigned an unusual task: wander around their bases, smartphones and notepads in hand, searching for virtual Pokemon infrastructure. Handwritten notes by a military police officer stationed at CFB Comox. The corporal was ordered to search for Pokestops and Pokemon Gyms on the base. 14 days after launch: military contacts Pokemon The documents show a wide variety of responses to the discovery of PokeStops and gyms on military bases. At CFB Petawawa, one location where Pokemon Go players retrieved virtual items was at the Garrison Museum. "Maybe some extra people will visit the museum!" wrote Maj. Alicia Saucier. Officials at CFB North Bay were less enthusiastic. On July 21, 2016, they filed a complaint with Niantic, the developer of Pokemon Go. "With the implementation of this PokeStop, there will be an increase in traffic onto the base, which could have a negative impact on 22 Wing's Mission," the request said. Niantic responded that it would review the complaint and follow up. Embracing Pokemon Meanwhile, at CFB Halifax, officials tried to harness the game for their benefit. An email to Rear Admiral John Newton made a series of recommendations: Remove the PokeStop from the Dockyard Gym, because "it presents a security risk." Add a PokeStop at the Stadacona Gym, because "this addition, with the already existing PokeStops at the museum and the admiral's residence, would increase the museum's attendance." If possible, upgrade the museum PokeStop to a Pokemon gym to increase traffic. Rear Admiral Newton addressed the Pokemon generally in an email, writing: "Life and work are best accomplished if there is good fun, health and friendship. "If Pokemon Go enables these values, while we protect our interests, then we all stand to marvel at this intersection of technology, gaming and health." What took so long? It took more than three years for the Department of National Defence (DND) to provide the documents requested by CBC News. According to legislation, the normal response time should be up to 60 days. "While our goal is to provide responses to Access to Information (ATI) requests as efficiently as possible, the review process is challenged by the size and complexity of the organization, as well as the number of requests received every year," said a statement from Jessica Lamirande, a senior communications adviser with DND. "Recognizing that backlog files require more attention, DND recently created a new team in the Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Directorate as part of a Backlog Reduction Initiative. This team has been assigned the task of working solely on backlog files so that the other processing teams can concentrate on ensuring newer files do not go late," she said. In other words, the orders given to government staff hired to identify overdue information requests seem to be, as Pokemon says, "you gotta catch 'em all."

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Minnesota Vikings vs. New Orleans Saints wild-card playoff preview: Another miracle on tap? Show Caption Hide Caption Lorenzo's Locks: How to bet on Sunday's wild card games SportsPulse: The two best games of the weekend may come out of the NFC slate on Sunday. Lorenzo provides the best bets you can make on each. USA TODAY A preview of the NFC wild-card matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints When: Sunday, Jan. 5, 1:05 p.m. ET Where: The Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans Channel: FOX Line: Saints by 7½ Injuries: Three of the Saints' four starting defensive backs missed the regular-season finale due to injury, including cornerback Eli Apple (ankle) and safeties Vonn Bell (knee) and Marcus Williams (groin). It's unclear whether any or all of them will be available Sunday. Fullback Zach Line's status is also unclear as he deals with a knee injury. For Minnesota, the good news is that star running back Dalvin Cook told reporters this week that he plans to return Sunday after missing the past two weeks with a shoulder injury. "I got some rest, and I’m ready to go," he said. The player worth monitoring is starting linebacker Eric Kendricks, who missed last week's game with a quadriceps injury and will likely be questionable this week. THREE THINGS TO KNOW 1. A miraculous rematch: These two teams will long be remembered for the iconic sequence that ended their playoff matchup two years ago, when Case Keenum threw a game-winning touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs in the closing seconds of their divisional-round matchup in a moment that has been dubbed "The Minneapolis Miracle." The key difference this time around, of course, is that New Orleans will be playing at home. The Saints have won seven of their past eight playoff games at the Superdome dating back to 2000, and you can bet Sunday's crowd will be raucous. 2. Top turnover teams: The Saints and Vikings ranked second and fifth, respectively, in turnover differential during the regular season, and New Orleans took care of the ball at a historic level. The Saints set a new NFL record by committing just eight turnovers in 2019, eclipsing the previous record of 10 that was shared by the 2010 Patriots and 2011 49ers. So don't expect many turnovers in Sunday's game — but any that arise could prove to be especially impactful. 3. QBs trending in opposite directions: Saints quarterback Drew Brees has been on a tear in recent weeks, throwing 16 touchdowns and no interceptions over the past five games — including a 29-for-30 performance against the Colts on Dec. 16. Minnesota's Kirk Cousins, meanwhile, has thrown picks in three of his past four games and only surpassed 250 passing yards once in that span. If he's able to reverse those trends, the Vikings will have a shot in this one. If not, Brees and company will in all likelihood march on to the divisional round. Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on Twitter @Tom_Schad.

The New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings are very familiar with one another. When the Saints host the Vikings in an NFL wild-card game Sunday afternoon, it will be the fifth time they have met in the postseason. Minnesota will break a tie with Philadelphia as New Orleans' most frequent playoff opponent. "It feels like we've played a handful of games," Saints coach Sean Payton said Wednesday. The Saints and Vikings met three times in a stretch of 25 games during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, which included the Vikings' "Minneapolis Miracle" victory in the divisional round after the 2017 season. Minnesota won a home game in the 2017 regular season, and New Orleans won a road game in the 2018 season. The teams even met in their 2019 preseason opener back in August. Of course the game that stands out most was that 2017 playoff meeting in Minneapolis, in which New Orleans rallied from a 17-0 halftime deficit to take a 24-23 lead with 25 seconds left. The Saints seemingly were on their way to Philadelphia for the NFC Championship Game when Case Keenum completed a pass to Stefon Diggs, rookie safety Marcus Williams whiffed on an attempted tackle and Diggs sprinted to a 61-yard touchdown as time expired. Breaking news and analyses in your inbox Email * Please enter a valid email address Sign up Please wait… Thank you for signing up. We've got more newsletters we think you'll find interesting. Click here Oops. Something went wrong. Please try again later. Try again Thank you, The email address you have provided is already registered. Close Minnesota is 3-1 against New Orleans in the playoffs, starting with a 44-10 wild-card victory in the Superdome after the 1987 season in the Saints' first postseason appearance. New Orleans' only victory was pretty memorable also, as it prevailed 31-28 in overtime in the NFC Championship Game in the Superdome, en route to the Saints' only Super Bowl after the 2009 season. The Saints bounced back from the playoff loss at Minnesota two years ago to go 13-3 and claim the No. 1 seed in the NFC last season. They narrowly missed going to the Super Bowl in an overtime loss at home against the Rams in the NFC Championship Game. They almost certainly would have won that game if the officials had called a penalty on a blatant case by pass interference by the Rams late in the fourth quarter. New Orleans put that loss behind it and went 13-3 again this year. "I think it says a lot about our group to be able to take some of those unfortunate circumstances and be able to turn that into something positive and use that as fuel, use that as a way to bring us closer together and fight through that adversity to bring out the best in all of us," quarterback Drew Brees said. The Saints (13-3) were the first NFL team to qualify for the playoffs this season when they captured a third consecutive NFC South title on Thanksgiving night. They were in position to claim a first-round bye and perhaps the top seed in the NFC. But 10 days after clinching, they lost a 48-46 shootout to San Francisco, and both the 49ers and Green Bay won tiebreakers to claim the first-round byes. New Orleans wound up No. 3. Minnesota controlled its fate in the NFC North until losing at home to Green Bay in Week 16, as the Packers wrapped up the division title and the Vikings were locked in at No. 6. Coach Mike Zimmer rested several key players in the regular-season finale, and Minnesota lost to Chicago to finish 10-6. "I don't think anybody believes that we can win this game, so we go in there and we slug it out," said Zimmer, who is 2-2 against New Orleans, including playoffs. "All I really care about is that 53 guys believe. "It's important that when you get in games like this, number one, you have to be able to execute. Do what you've been doing all along." The Vikings expect to be bolstered by the return of Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook, who missed the last two games because of a shoulder injury. "I feel refreshed. I'm going to be ready to go," Cook said. "I'm going to be at full strength. Looking forward to a good football game." Cook has rushed for 1,135 yards and 13 touchdowns and caught 53 passes for 519 yards. Less certain for Minnesota is linebacker Eric Kendricks (quad), who missed Wednesday's practice after sitting out Week 17. Kendricks tied for the NFL lead among linebackers with 12 pass breakups during the regular season. For the Saints, cornerback Eli Apple (ankle) and fullback Zach Line (knee) both missed Wednesday's practice. --Field Level Media REUTERS2

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Trophies tarnish and memories fade with the years. As days become decades and weeks become generations, names on banners and numbers hanging high in arenas become more “who was that?” than “remember when?” Life on this planet is full of arrivals and departures, comings and goings. That’s simply how things go. And the recollections of those remarkable runs and civic moments of pride gradually fall victim to the ages. But images. Pictures. Photographs. Those can tell more in a single frame than even the most gifted wordsmith can in thousands of words. This is especially true for the year that was in Memphis for their Grizzlies. The year 2019 was one of change for the Memphis Grizzlies. The final goodbye to a bygone era and the beginnings of building what is next to come made the past 364 days feel quite consequential. Departures of Chris Wallace, Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, and others while the arrivals of Zachary Kleiman (ok, he was already, but the arrival of more opportunity), Ja Morant, Brandon Clarke, and others have led us to a very different place at the end of December than we were at the beginning of this past January. There are many new faces, and still a lot of uncertainty about who exactly will be in Memphis for the long run. There are some things around the Grizzlies that has been absent for some time. There’s a lack of connection that comes with the present levels of unfamiliarity...but there’s also hope. There are losses, but there is direction. There was sadness, but now there’s joy. It shows in the following images. Portraits of faith in something fresh and fun being built by hard work and a little bit of luck. Profiles in hope that the turning page and long list of exits will result in Memphis entering the dawn of a new, better age. Portrayals of love between those that already know each other like brothers, and those that likely eventually will. Because this city, this community has proven this past decade that it doesn’t have to simply be just basketball. It can be so much more. It has in Memphis. And in time, it will again for the Grizzlies. An embrace of what once was You were expecting someone else? There’s a much more famous picture of Marc Gasol and Mike Conley hugging that you’ve almost certainly seen before. Both Marc and Mike are in the heat of battle roughly 10 days before the photo above was taken. Gasol lifts Conley up off the floor in a giant hug - one final moment of triumph together. It brings about all sorts of emotions that the photo above...doesn’t. Unbridled joy, pride, the raw competitiveness that Memphis fell in love with in the Grit and Grind Grizzlies that Marc and Mike were the last vestiges of. So why this image, instead of the other “bear” hug? In a word? Acceptance. We all worked through the various stages of grief when Grit and Grind really died in 2017 (and you can probably argue even earlier than that) when Zach Randolph and Tony Allen departed Memphis. Depression, denial, anger, guilt...then, the desire to rebuild. By the time the photo above was taken, most everyone that has followed this team, at least for the past decade, has finally achieved that final stage of acceptance. Gasol and Conley alone were not enough - health, missteps in talent acquisition, and other issues along the way helped make that so, of course. But that doesn’t change the fact that it was, indeed, so. The time had come to move on. Marc Gasol didn’t dress for this game because he was in the throws of deep trade talks. He would depart Memphis just two days later for the Toronto Raptors, where a title run and eventual championship ring would await. Yet he still came and sat on the bench despite the awkwardness that comes with an impending departure, one that wasn’t necessarily asked for by the player directly but was still necessary on both ends of the transaction. He did so to, for one last time, be with his teammates. To bask in the glow of a loving Memphis fan base and city that sees him as one of their own. And to hug his brother Mike one last time on the FedExForum floor. Other long-term Grizzlies were also gone, like JaMychal Green. But Conley, who of course was traded to Utah and their Jazz later in the year, and Gasol were the headliners. The last two ties that bound the Grizzlies to their greatest era were gone. Their goodbye has helped lead to what was and is to come, almost like a parting gift. Two sons of Memphis departing via trades that have helped make a future that was once quite dark far less dreary while pursuing their own NBA Finals dreams. It made saying goodbye with a smile and a hug, and not a sobbing collapse, a little easier to do. With every goodbye... The possibilities of what may be Jaren Jackson Jr. is a Chris Wallace draft pick. Well, as much of one as he could be, given how the power structure of the Grizzlies front office changed through the 2018-2019 season. Jackson Jr. went 4th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft and was booed on his draft night, largely because many still saw Memphis as a team trying to compete for playoff glory at that stage (including myself). If the current front office and philosophy of asset acquisition was in place at that time, the pick would have been more supported. So when Wallace departed - first with lesser responsibility as soon as the Gasol trade negotiations behind the scenes, and certainly by the time he was reassigned to scouting with the ascension of Zachary Kleiman - no one should have been happier than Jaren. Because now he could be given the room necessary to grow free of expectations...and thanks to a little luck, the running mate to take on the brunt of the star factor for the future of the Memphis Grizzlies. The 2019 NBA Draft Lottery brought the Grizzlies the 2nd overall pick, and eventually Ja Morant. And goodness does he shine brightly - he is explosive and electrifying in a way that no player has ever been in Memphis history. He attacks the game of basketball and oozes confidence, a swagger fitting of the city that he now calls home. He and Jaren can grow and learn the ways of NBA professionalism together, much like Marc Gasol and Mike Conley before them. They’ll hopefully be here forever - like Marc and Mike were and will be - and add another chapter to the story of Grizzlies basketball. Add in the ability of Memphis to take advantage of the foolishness of 17 other NBA teams (New Orleans with Zion Williamson, Memphis with the aforementioned Morant, and the Knicks get a pass on RJ Barrett out of fairness to consistency on my end) to pass on Brandon Clarke’s unbelievable efficiency and ability to contribute at an extremely high level on both ends of the floor? Through the Gasol and Conley trades (a 2nd rounder from Mike’s move helped the Grizzlies move up to get Clarke), enough cap and pick capital was gained to make moves and take advantage of the luck that fell in the lap of Memphis. And now Clarke looks the part of a Draymond Green-level contributor, potentially, to the next great Grizzlies team. In the place of Grit and Grind? A malleable unnamed era still at the beginnings of being shaped. A new personification of Memphis Folks are always in a rush to be first these days. Christening this new era of Grizzlies basketball is no different. Proclaiming a nickname here, defining a style of play there...it can be enough to make you heave. But where the previous greatest run of professional basketball in Memphis Grizzlies history was defined by four individuals - Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, and Tony Allen - the next one, while Jaren Jackson Jr. and other will play key parts, will be defined by one man. Ja Morant. Because he embodies the very best of all four of them. He understands the city like Marc Gasol did, largely because he, like Gasol, spent a lot of time in the south growing. Of course the path of Gasol - little brother of an NBA player, private school education, etc. - was a bit different from the beginnings of Morant. But Ja gets what connection a community like Memphis can make to basketball thanks to his upbringing in South Carolina. He knows how important it is to give back to those that invested in you as well as those in need. That will pay off in emotional investment and connection from Memphis for Morant, as it did for Gasol. Ja is raw energy like Tony Allen was. The difference, though, is folks tuned in to see what the hell TA was going to do in a somewhat joking/morbid way at times. When it comes to Morant it’s wanting to see a moment live before it hits social media and the highlight reels. Another commonality is both are genuine. There’s not much fake about Tony Allen. He is who he is, and he wears it on his sleeve. From Spongebob shoes to his flashy style of play, Ja Morant is a chip off the Grit and Grind block. Besides the obvious point guard comparison, Ja Morant and Mike Conley share a charisma and willingness to take over key moments that only true leaders possess. To be in the final parts of a contest and want the ball in your hands is one thing. To be trusted by your teammates and coaches to do so, and to do the next right thing for your team is quite another. Mike Conley earned the moniker of “Captain” through playing through injury and aggressively embracing all that comes with being a leader. Early in his career, Ja looks more than able to be that guy for the Grizzlies. He’s a personification of Memphis like Zach Randolph was, but in his own unique way. Sure, Morant missed the dunk above, but at the end of the day that’s not what matters. He was willing to try the damn thing. He’s not a big bodied bruiser like Zach. He perhaps should be a bit more careful with his mid-air antics. Where Zach was the bully of bullies, Ja is the unafraid fighter outpunching his weight class, not because he doesn’t know any better... He just doesn’t give a shit. And Memphis loves it. He competes at the highest level without fear. He sees your seven footer and tries to figure out how to out-leap him. Apply that literal attempt to the path ahead of the Grizzlies - forget the current standings and misguided postseason hopes. There will be difficult days ahead. Memphis is fortunate to have a young man out in front, with capable help beside him, to get the franchise to learn from both the good and the bad and move forward. Perhaps upward is more apt, to continue the dunking parallels. But this next year and decade of Grizzlies basketball, ironically, will have a lot of similarities to the previous and last. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Instead of a core four, though, the future will be defined by a humble, hard working young man with a flash for the remarkable and a feel for what makes basketball special in Memphis because he’s lived it. A hug, three smiles, and a leap. Seven words about three images that made all the difference to the 2019 Memphis Grizzlies. The ramifications of the actions that led to the men in those photographs coming to, and going from, the Bluff City will ring through the eras to come. These pictures tell more than the story of the year for the Memphis Grizzlies. They remind us of what basketball is this city was, and is, and what it will be again. Follow @sbngrizzlies

The 2010’s brought Memphis Grizzlies fans sweet memories and hope for the future. They spent the majority of the decade as a playoff team behind a “core four” of players that became larger-than-life figures in the city of Memphis. Though all the Z-BOunds, “Captain Clutch” moments, First-Team All-Defense plays, and Gasol dimes had to eventually fade away, the Memphis Grizzlies are entering an era that could perhaps deliver the most success in franchise history. In year one of the full rebuild, the Grizzlies already have a trio of players that could usher them into this glorious age. Jaren Jackson Jr. defies traditional basketball, as he’s a 7-footer that launches six 3-pointers a game, handles the ball like a guard, and possesses the post footwork of an elite big man. Brandon Clarke, acquired in a trade for franchise great Mike Conley, is a high-energy big man that could defend multiple positions, protect the rim, score with incredible efficiency, and space the floor. Ja Morant is the superstar that puts the Grizzlies on the map with his nifty ball-handling, elite athleticism, flashy passing, and the “**** you” edge that’s captivating to the national media. Behind this trio, and a bright, forward-thinking front office, the Memphis Grizzlies are entering the new decade with hope beyond making noise. They’re looking to build a sustainable product that could ultimately bring a Finals parade to Beale Street before 2030 begins. Zach Kleiman, Jason Wexler, and company are off to a fantastic start with this plan, as they’re surpassing most expectations this season. They got this trio, a modern coach that’s integrated a beautiful, free-flowing system, and a platoon of assets in the form of young players, veteran contracts, and draft capital. It’s a modern basketball enthusiast’s dream. However, there are some things they need to do in order to bring sustainable success this decade. Find Ja Morant’s running mate Jaren Jackson Jr. has his fellow frontcourt partner-in-crime of the future in Brandon Clarke. The Grizzlies must find Ja Morant’s running mate. How this player joins the fold remains to be seen. If you were to pick someone on this current team, De’Anthony Melton seems like the perfect option. He’s already an elite defender for his position and can alleviate pressure off Ja on that end of the floor. Offensively, he’s flashed potential as a 3-level scorer and a secondary playmaker. In the process, he won’t take shots away from Morant or Jackson — which has been a complaint about some members in the starting lineup. The question with Melton is about his position. Do they see him as someone with enough size to be a starting 2-guard every night? Or, does he transition into a backup point guard in the mold of Fred VanVleet — one that handles floor general responsibilities in the second unit, but can play alongside the starter in crunchtime? It’s too early to tell, but it could come in the form of the draft — pls, Jalen Green. Or in free agency. Or in the next big All-Star trade. The Grizzlies must keep this in mind, as most title contenders posses two, sometimes three, elite perimeter players on their squads. They desperately need to find a wing or 2-guard that can take pressure off Ja Morant as a playmaker, hit 3’s, defend good enough, and create his own offense. The franchise has been longing for that type of player since Rudy Gay’s departure, and finding a player of that skillset between Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. would bolster their probability of long-term success. Expand the Horizons of Your Best Players The Memphis Grizzlies have their trio, and the crazy thing is, they have room to grow. As it stands right now, with experience and time, the Grizzlies could become a playoff team — if these players stay the course. However, empowering them to add dimensions to their games and to take on different roles can launch both the team and the players to new heights. With Ja Morant, there’s already a lot to like. He’s an elite playmaker with dazzling ball-handling, 3-level scoring potential, and jump-out-the-gym athleticism. Where his game could go another level comes with experience and empowerment. Over time, he’ll learn the nuances of running a NBA offense and reading NBA defenses. Taylor Jenkins must continue empowering him to be that go-to scorer when needed, as well as keeping others involved in the offense. It won’t be surprising to see him have at least one 20-10 season in this decade. Jaren Jackson Jr. is already one of the NBA’s most unique big men. He plays like a big guard with his three-point volume and efficiency, ball-handling, and rebounding. For Jackson to catapult himself into the “elite big man” conversation and maximize his potential, it’ll come down to fouling — obvious, but fixable — and rebounding. Jaren can become one of the league’s best big men this decade, and for him to be one, the Grizzlies must continue to explore these unique aspects of his game, while working on his current flaws. Brandon Clarke is the x-factor here. He has the makings of a top-end role player; even if he’s what he is now, he’s an excellent 6th-7th man off the bench. Where Clarke can take the Grizzlies and his game to new heights comes as a playmaker. He’s flashed the potential to be a good passer over the past few games, and he must continue honing his craft in that area. In addition, if he puts more work into his ball-handling, it opens up more transition opportunities, as well as more chances for him to create offense from the perimeter. If he starts averaging between 3-5 assists, and facilitates out of the short roll, he could easily become the Draymond Green of the 2020’s — a versatile big man that can defend all 5 positions, space the floor, and serve as a secondary playmaker. The Grizzlies’ young trio is already good. If the coaching staff can expand the horizons off their game, and empower them to play a bit out of their comfort zone, you could easily see these three lead Memphis to long-term, sustainable success. Continue Accumulating Assets, but Know When to Cash In Being completely honest, the post-LeBron West is open. The Nuggets will be good with Nikola Jokic, and will be even better if Jamal Murray becomes a perennial All-Star, and Michael Porter Jr. becomes something. The Pelicans and Thunder have a boatload of assets and some young talent, after their superstar trades. Dallas has Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. Yes, the next generation of the West will be challenging, but behind Morant, Jackson, and Clarke, the Grizzlies are in that race. It’s easy to get caught up in their surprising playoff race right now, but let’s not forget the long game here. Kleiman and company must continue accumulating assets in the form of draft capital and young players — whether that comes from deals involving Andre Iguodala, Solomon Hill, Jae Crowder, or even Jonas Valanciunas. However, when the time comes where they have a shot to win it all, they must cash in on the accumulated assets. We’ve seen what happens when you cash in — the Toronto Raptors. And we’ve seen when you fail to cash in — the Boston Celtics. It could be something as small as adding that veteran starter, or two, on a bad team to bolster the bench. It could be another deal that Dallas and Atlanta did with Doncic and Trae Young — please, please, God, I want Jalen Green. Or it could be making a play for the next disgruntled All-Star and persuading him to stay with the attraction of being a title contender — Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Donovan Mitchell, Karl-Anthony Towns... all players that come to mind. The Grizzlies already have two prized assets in the Utah Jazz pick from the Conley trade — based on early returns, that pick will be sweet — and the Warriors pick in the Iguodala salary dump — when Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green will be on the wrong side of 30. The Grizzlies possess a forward-thinking front office that’s in the game of asset accumulation. They can’t be like Danny Ainge and hold them to their chest. They have to go in when they feel like they can bring a championship parade to Beale Street. I don’t think many people realize how special the 2020’s could be. Yes, the GNG days were amazing, and it’s easy to want to compare these guys to that era. This is entirely different though. The pieces are there to build a legitimate title contender — not just a dark-horse favorite. They have two of the best 5-6 guys from the past two drafts — one, a dynamic playmaker that drips with superstar potential; the other, a unicorn big man that’s literally a dream of any modern NBA enthusiast. A third fiddle that could evolve into an elite role player that could become another Draymond Green, one of the most integral players of one of the best teams of all time. A coach that already has installed an offense that’s already generating league-best assist rates and pace. The assets to strike in franchise-altering move. And a front office that’s preaching the long game and seeking sustainable success. The recipe is just about there. If they can find Ja Morant’s running mate, expand the horizons of their best players, and capitalize the “asset-catching” game, the Memphis Grizzlies could deliver something this city deserves ... A championship parade on Beale Street. Follow Grizzly Bear Blues on Twitter and Instagram

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“They treat us like cavemen. They don’t care if we live or die.” Striking Arizona copper miners determined to continue fight By Evan Blake and Jerry White 30 December 2019 Sunday marked the eleventh week of the strike by nearly 2,000 copper miners against Asarco LLC, owned by the Mexico City-based Grupo México, the third largest copper producer in the world. The strike, which began October 13, has largely shut down production at three open pit mines and a smelter in Arizona, as well as a refinery in Amarillo, Texas. Asarco has brought in scabs to resume production at the three mines, while the smelter and refinery remain closed. Striking Asarco copper miners at the entrance to the Ray mine Negotiations over a new contract have been stalled since November 2018, when the previous 14-month contract expired. In early October, Asarco revealed its “last and final offer,” which amounted to an ultimatum that miners accept a future of poverty, poor health and unsafe working conditions. The company is demanding that workers extend their decade-long pay freeze for four more years and accept a more than doubling of their health care contributions and a freeze on their pension benefits. In the face of this assault by the corporation, a coalition of nine unions, led by the United Steelworkers (USW) and the Teamsters, has limited the strike to allegations of “unfair labor practices.” Instead of striking over Asarco’s demands for sweeping concessions, the unions are simply demanding that the company negotiate in good faith under the auspices of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). This strategy is aimed at hamstringing the striking miners and preventing them from broadening their struggle to the entire copper industry. The unions have imposed a gag order on the workers, demanding that they not discuss the economic issues that motivated the strike. The unions can call off the strike at any time by claiming that Asarco is negotiating fairly, sending the miners back to work with none of the economic issues resolved. Meanwhile, the company has the ability to fire the striking workers and replace them permanently. A World Socialist Web Site reporting team spoke with striking miners last week at the massive Ray 1 open pit mine outside Kearny, Arizona, discussing their working conditions and their thoughts on the struggle. The mine, which opened in 1880, extends for miles in each direction and contains one of the largest copper reserves in the US. Tanis, a miner with 38 years at Asarco, said: “We are fighting for the next generation. They’re trying to take away our wages, health benefits and pensions. Asarco started Grupo México. After they came in and took over, they haven’t given us raises. They don’t help the communities, all the money is just for themselves. They want to freeze our pensions and not pay us anything more for additional time that we work. They want to keep us on a 10–12 hour workday, when we were on eight-hour shifts just a couple years ago.” Cody, a shovel and drill mechanic with 12 years Cody, a shovel and drill mechanic with 12 years at Asarco, spoke on the reactionary demands the company is making. He said: “They’re trying to give us a minimal raise and raise our insurance costs, which would technically be a pay cut for us. We’re trying to get better wages and insurance, and we’re also fighting for the people that are already retired, because they’re trying to take away their pensions. “The company is trying to break us so they can do whatever they want. They’re trying to make it so it’s not livable. They’re going backwards, no forward progress. We’ve gotta stay strong with everybody else and show them that we mean business.” Cody also noted the extreme heat that the workers face when working in the summer. “In the summer time it gets real hot,” he said. “It gets to 130 degrees down in the bottom of the pit.” In addition to the heat, workers face other serious workplace safety issues as well as environmental contamination in the nearby communities where they live. Lead and arsenic levels in the air above the region’s copper mines have been found to be 60 to 80 times above “safe” levels, due to environmental damage caused by Asarco over decades. Striking Asarco copper miners at their picket Dino, a miner with 18 years at the company, commented: “A lot of guys I know who retired died right after with cancer. I was diagnosed with cancer, and no one from the company came to ask me how I was doing. Inside there, we face chemicals, dust and stress. I’m trying to retire in a couple years so I don’t die like the others that I know. They want to take away our pensions, but no one can survive on $1,000 a month.” A veteran worker described the unsafe conditions: “We breathe in dust all day. There have been a handful of deaths at this location. When we sit in the seat of the hauling trucks, you can’t see 36 feet in front of you. You can’t see 92 feet to the right of you, 35 feet to the left. If someone is out there, out of your line of sight, you can crush them. On top of that, the contractors who drive out here don’t go by the rules. They try to beat us across the intersection, and they could easily get flattened.” Another worker said, “They treat us like cavemen. They don’t care if we live or die.” Security patrolling the Ray mine The ore-hauling trucks that miners operate weigh roughly 320 tons and have repeatedly been cited in the death of miners in horrific accidents caused by their blind spots. In 1998, the Mine Safety Health Administration (MSHA) found that 120 miners were killed and 1,377 injured from 1987 to 1996 due to three main causes, one of which was “blind areas on self-propelled mobile equipment.” While the mining corporations spend upwards of $1 million on each haul truck, they have refused to spend a few thousands dollars to install basic camera equipment on the trucks to improve their safety, while MSHA has not mandated that they do so. Composed primarily of white and Latino workers, most of those at the Ray mine picket line voiced support for socialist policies and hostility toward Trump and the anti-immigrant sentiment he seeks to cultivate. Overall, the sentiment of the workers was internationalist, with many miners denouncing Grupo México for allowing 65 miners to die, while recovering the bodies of only two, after the 2006 explosion at the Pasta de Conchos mine in Mexico. A number of miners also spoke about the growing number of strikes, in particular those of nurses and teachers in recent years. As opposed to this internationalism, the USW bureaucrats have promoted economic nationalism throughout the strike in an attempt to divide Asarco workers from their class brothers and sisters internationally. At a protest on December 16, Karla Schumann, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 104, made a statement declaring, “Grupo México is a rogue company that believes it can ignore US labor laws, violate international labor standards, recklessly exploit the environment and abuse US workers and their communities like they do in Mexico.” Striking miners denounce a scab leaving the Ray mine In reality, as with most transnational corporations, Grupo México is largely controlled by Wall Street, including the investment firms Fidelity, Vanguard and Lazard. Many of the miners who spoke to the World Socialist Web Site were very critical of the unions, noting that they force the workers to go through the degrading process of applying for a hardship grant just to get food and gas cards. When our reporter explained that the USW has at least $150 million in its strike fund, one worker commented, “They could run their own bank!” When the WSWS stressed that this is the workers’ money, the same miner responded, “Yeah, just like these are our jobs,” implying that the miners have no control over either aspect of their lives. In discussing the role of the unions, the WSWS reporters elaborated a fighting strategy for the miners based on electing their own, independent rank-and-file strike committees, a perspective that aroused great interest. The miners are aware that they remain isolated due to the policies of the unions and are seeking to break through that isolation. Many workers thanked our reporters for covering their strike, noting that the local press in Phoenix—the sixth largest city in the US—hadn’t written a single article on their months-long struggle. Many workers voiced contempt for both the Democratic and Republican parties, while some had illusions in Bernie Sanders or thought that Trump was an outsider who is “draining the swamp” in Washington. A veteran miner stated emphatically, “The rich couldn’t care less about us. The politicians are in their pockets, whether it’s Trump or the Democrats.” Another miner said, “It doesn’t matter whether we’re Democrats, Republicans, conservatives, socialists, it’s been ingrained in all of us not to be scabs. We all grew up in the unions. We’re fighting for each other. It doesn’t matter what party you believe in around here, everybody works their ass off.” The north end of the massive Ray mine Many miners said they were second and third generation miners, and had worked for companies that were taken over by Phelps Dodge, Freeport or other mining companies. Tanis said, “I remember the ’83 [Phelps Dodge] strike in Morenci. That was a nasty one. Families were divided between strikebreakers and scabs. To this day, they won’t talk to each other.” Speaking of the assault Asarco is threatening against their pension benefits, a young worker with eight years at the company said, “As far as they’re concerned, we’re living too long. Workers are retiring and living to 92. If it was up to them, we would die a year or two after retiring.” He continued, “Everywhere that I’ve worked, they’re cutting pensions, so all we can do is try to chase the dollar, getting the best wages we can. If you’re on a 401k and making $15/hour, you can’t survive, you can’t afford health care, you can’t afford to retire. So, we’re just saying ‘enough is enough.’ “Since I’ve been here, it’s been non-stop fighting for a contract. They have a two-tier wage system in here. It’s not 50 percent like in the auto industry, but you can have a worker making $21.50 working right next to a guy making $27.50 doing the same work.” The miners also described how Asarco has cut back funding for local community services in Kearny, including closing a pool and a library, and discussing disincorporating the town. Speaking with residents in Kearny, WSWS reporters met an Arizona teacher whose husband used to work at Asarco. She said the teachers supported the Asarco strikers. “My husband couldn’t stay there because they don’t care, they don’t pay enough to workers,” she said. “Now they want to take two times as much out of pocket for health care expenses. Grupo México doesn’t care about Kearny, they’re cutting the services. When the teachers were on strike, the teachers themselves launched the strike, not the unions. The unions abandoned the workers.” Contribute to the fight for socialism in 2020 2019 has been a year of mass social upheaval. We need you to help the WSWS and ICFI make 2020 the year of international socialist revival. We must expand our work and our influence in the international working class. If you agree, donate today. Thank you. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.

Moderators for December Democratic Debate (Image by PBS Newshour) Details DMCA There has been a fair amount of discussion over whether the Democrats are poorly served by having two small states (Iowa and New Hampshire) that are unrepresentative of the electorate as a whole, wield such power in the early primary process. What has been overlooked, however, is how the Democrats have not been well served by the 2019 debate moderators whose questions have been unrepresentative of the challenges a new Democratic President will face upon taking office by ignoring two overriding issues that will present serious challenges for any incoming Democratic President. The first is that Democrats currently are in the minority in the Senate and need to pick up three seats to put them in control (assuming a Democratic Vice President is there to break the tie and support from the two Independent Senators). Cook Political Report lists only six 2020 Senate races that are tossups or merely leaning towards the incumbent party (Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Maine, Michigan and North Carolina). Assuming the Democrats ran the table on these races, they would have a three-vote majority which may not always hold given more moderate Senators such as Alabama's Doug Jones, Arizona's Kristen Sinema, Maine's Angus King and West Virginia' Joe Manchin. Nobody is talking about the fact that an incoming Democratic President will have, at best, a razor-thin margin in the Senate. Unless the Senate Democrats vote to abandon the filibuster once and for all, the new President will only be able to pass legislation with over a half-dozen Republican votes. Even without the filibuster, the new President may need one or two Republican votes to offset any Democratic defections. That would be a relevant issue to raise in a debate question. How would, for example, Senator Sanders, who did not sponsor a single bill that passed in the last Congress, gain Republican votes for his agenda? The other issue that debate moderators entirely ignored was the budget deficit. In 2021, the new Democratic President will face a record $1.034 trillion deficit which will equal 4.5 percent of the gross domestic product. Just as Presidents Clinton and Obama took office having to balance their own domestic agenda with the necessity of cleaning up the fiscal mess left by their Republican predecessor, a new Democratic President will face the same challenge. This is not an issue that the new President may be able to defer. In 1987, the growing federal budget deficit (then approximately 3 percent of GDP) and the Reagan administration's reluctance to raise taxes to address it were cited as one of the causes of that year's stock market crash. Would the markets react once again if the new President hesitated to address the issue? In addition, while the same Republicans who breathed fire and brimstone over deficits under President Obama now suffer from deficit amnesia under Trump, that amnesia is certain to end seconds after a new Democratic President takes the oath of office. As with Presidents Clinton and Obama, you can be certain that the Republicans will not support any deficit-reduction package that includes tax increases. Thus, the new President will be required to maintain discipline within the Democratic caucus while asking its members to make politically risky votes to raise taxes and/or limit spending. Has a moderator even broached this in any of the debates? No, instead we have had repeated discussions of Medicare for All promoted by Senators Sanders and Warren. Senator Sanders has not even released a plan explaining how he would pay for this program, telling CNBC's John Harwood "I don't think I have to do that right now". Senator Warren's attempt to spell how she would fund her program has been criticized for relying upon wildly inflated assumptions. (It is ironic that Senator Warren has paid a political price for her coyness on this issue while the math-phobic Sanders has not.) It would seem important to ask how the candidates will both achieve their agenda and reduce the deficit, but no moderator bothered to ask this question. Instead, we have had countless back and forth discussions on this political unicorn, Medicare for All, without forcing its advocates to explain how they would get the votes to pass it or how they would achieve this and their other priorities while still addressing the deficit. With one final debate in January before the February 3rd Iowa Caucus, hopefully, the moderators from CNN and the Des Moines Register will seek to return the debate to one based on the political and economic realities the new President will face. This is important because Democrats need to select a candidate who is prepared to address these challenges if they are to win in 2020. In my next column, I will address a third overlooked issue in the 2019 debates - the infrastructure deficit. (Article changed on December 30, 2019 at 01:48)

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Richmond’s Jewish community was determined to not let the tragedy that took place at a New York menorah lighting Saturday night dim their celebration the next day, which marked the end of Hannukah. In fact, “the best way to combat darkness and hate is with light and love,” said Michael Sachs, the past-president of Richmond’s Bayit Synagogue. article continues below “We want to light up our menorah to shine a light on the fact that the way we are going to respond to hatred is love, kindness and good deeds.” On Dec. 29, dozens of members of the local Jewish community came together with Levi Varnai, a rabbi with Richmond’s Bayit synagogue, to light the eighth candle of Hanukkah, hoping to shed light during a “dark time” for the Jewish community. That dark time refers to the previous night when people gathered at a rabbi’s home in New York to celebrate the seventh night of Hanukkah. In the midst of the event, a man with a machete entered the home and wounded five people. Saturday was the seventh night of Hanukkah, the Jewish eight-day wintertime “festival of lights.” In response to the attack, Sachs began using the hashtag “light against hate” on different social media platforms to show solidarity with, and support for, its victims. The concept has spread across North America over the last 20 hours. According to Sachs, he has received an outpouring of love and support since launching the campaign. “Every synagogue in Vancouver used that hashtag,” said Sachs, adding that the idea has also gained support from the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver. “We are hearing and reading about the hatred towards the Jewish community, but in Richmond and across Canada, many people who are non-Jewish are standing up and saying, ‘no,’” “We are grateful to all those who try to bring more light into the world and drive out the darkness.” Also joining the event on Sunday night were Ezra S. Shanken, CEO with the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, Richmond councilor Chak Au and Bill McNulty and B.C. Liberal MLA John Yap.

The family of a man stabbed multiple times during a Hanukkah attack at the home of a New York rabbi says he is in "dire" condition. The family released a graphic photo of Josef Neumann Wednesday showing the severe injuries he sustained in the knife attack Saturday at the home of a rabbi in Monsey, New York. WARNING: Image below may be disturbing to some viewers Federal hate crime charges say 37-year-old Grafton Thomas entered the home where dozens of people were lighting candles and saying prayers just before 10 p.m to celebrate the seventh night of Hanukkah. Thomas, his face covered with a scarf, allegedly said words to the effect of, "Nobody is leaving," and then took out a machete and started stabbing and slashing people. Five were wounded. People in the home recalled throwing a table at the attacker and one took down his license plate number as he fled the scene, leading to the suspect's arrest about two hours later in New York City. Police found a blood-stained 18-inch machete in his car, according to the complaint. Investigators later found anti-Semitic writings in Thomas's Greenwood Lake home and web searches on his phone for terms including "Why did Hitler hate the Jews," the federal complaint says. The victims, according to the federal complaint, were "members of the Hasidic community and thus, easily identifiable as adherents to the Jewish faith." The five wounded were hospitalized and suffered injuries including a severed finger, deep lacerations and slash wounds, according to the complaint. The family's statement said that Neumann was "severely stabbed multiple times." "The knife penetrated his skull directly into the brain," the statement said. "He also suffered three cuts to the head, one cut to the neck, and his right arm has been shattered." This is the visual state of Josef Neumann who has been stabbed at the Hanukkah celebration Saturday night in the Forshay area of #Monsey. (Press/media is authorized to publish/post this.) #MeJew pic.twitter.com/1e1acNG2O9 — OJPAC (@OJPAC) January 1, 2020 The statement says Neumann's status is so dire that doctors have not attempted a surgery on his right arm. Doctors are "not optimistic about his chances to regain consciousness," the statement says. "...If our father does miraculously recover partially, doctors expect that he will have permanent damage to the brain; leaving him partially paralyzed and speech-impaired for the rest of his life," the statement said. suspect.jpg More Grafton Thomas CBS New York The family said Neumann has seven children, many grandchildren, a great-grandchild and brothers and sisters. The family thanked the community for their prayers and support. The stabbing rampage is part of a growing surge of anti-Semitic attacks in New York and and across the country. The family urged fellow members of the Jewish community to share the image of Neumann on social media as well as their own experiences with anti-Semitism. "We shall not let this terrible hate-driven attack be forgotten, and let us all work to eradicate all sorts of hate," the statement said. Thomas' family has said they believe the attack was driven by Thomas' mental illness, not by anti-Semitism. A lawyer said Thomas was experiencing auditory hallucinations and may not have been taking his medication for depression and psychosis. The lawyer, Michael Sussman, said he reviewed some of Thomas' writings and said they showed the "ramblings of a disturbed individual," and said they did not suggest any anti-Semitic sentiments. "This is the action of an individual who for a long time has decompensated and has been treated in mental health facilities," he said.He said he has requested a mental health evaluation of his client. Thomas is charged with five counts of attempted murder and one count of burglary. He also faces federal hate crimes charges of obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs involving an attempt to kill. Focus on habits to help keep your New Year's resolutions Pope Francis apologizes for slapping a woman's hand away after her rough grab Eye Opener at 8: Start off a healthy 2020

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Robyn Joanne Naeʻole of Hāʻikū, Maui, passed away peacefully at home on September 15, 2019. She was born on March 08, 1955, in Wailuku, Maui. Robyn was last employed as a leasing officer for Hal... Robyn Joanne Naeʻole, 64Robyn Joanne Naeʻole of Hāʻikū, Maui, passed away peacefully at home on September 15, 2019. She was born on March 08, 1955, in Wailuku, Maui.Robyn was last employed as a leasing officer for Hal... Read More Robyn Joanne Naeʻole, 64 Robyn Joanne Naeʻole of Hāʻikū, Maui, passed away peacefully at home on September 15, 2019. She was born on March 08, 1955, in Wailuku, Maui. Robyn was last employed as a leasing officer for Hale Makana o Waiale in Wailuku, prior to enjoying her early retirement. She is predeceased by her parents, Joseph Naeʻole and Carmen Carbonell Singson and is survived by her son, Ryan James Kamakakēhau Fernandez; Partner Pamela Leilani “Aunty Spam” Bergau; siblings Clifford James Naeʻole (April), Rochelle Marie Naeʻole Adams (Derrick), Leihua Naeʻole, and Joseph Kalani Naeʻole (Jahanna); along with many other friends and family that surrounded her with love. A Celebration of Life will be held on October 26, 2019, at the ʻOhanaʻs Waiʻehu Beach home (421 Waiʻehu Beach Road), starting at 12 noon. More details to follow.

BHOPAL: State Secretariat Employees Union has come forward with a unique initiative, making women staffers and their daughters aware of crime against women along with ways of its prevention. Mantralayeen employees union is organising awareness and training camp for the women staff working at state secretariat. Not only this, daughters of the employees have also been included in the programme and are invited to attend the camp. The training camp will be held on January 3 at Sardar Patel Park near the state secretariat from 12 noon to 2pm. ‘The camp has been kept at lunch time so that it witnesses maximum participation of women employees and their daughters,’ said Sudhir Nayak, president of Secretariat Employees Union. Explaining about the programme, Nayak said that considering crime against women, it was decided to inform and educate the women employees along with their kin. Police officials would provide tips on self-defense during critical moments. They will also inform them about mobile applications that could enhance their knowledge about self defense. Moreover, demonstration of self-defense instruments and information on where to get these instruments will also be provided in this camp. A woman police official will also brief them about precautions to be taken by women at risky places and situations besides telling them what to do in such situation.

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Rebuilding the Detroit Lions with a seven-round 2020 NFL mock draft. Early in the season, the Detroit Lions looked like a legitimate playoff contender in the NFC. They started 2-0-1 and followed that with close losses to the Chiefs and Packers, both of which were games that could have gone either way. Despite the losses, there was hope that by showing they can play with two of NFL’s best teams that they could certainly compete for a playoff spot. But with Matthew Stafford missing the whole second half of the season, they lost their last nine games finishing 3-12-1 and have the third overall selection in the draft. Looking at their roster it is pretty clear to me that the Detroit Lions must use the draft to rebuild their defense. The offense has a pretty solid offensive line, a young, talented running back in Kerryon Johnson, last year’s first-round tight end T.J. Hockenson, and one of the best receivers in the league, Kenny Golladay. In the seven games this season with Stafford under center, Detroit averaged 25.5 points per game, which would of finished top 10 in the NFL. If he can stay healthy, this can certainly be a good offense for the foreseeable future. The defense meanwhile has holes all over the place. They have massive needs at cornerback, linebacker and on the interior of the defensive line. Finding players at these positions without reaching will be the key for the Detroit Lions in the draft. The Lions do not have any extra picks, they just have their own picks for the first through sixth rounds. They did trade their seventh-round pick to the 49ers for Eli Harold. So, without further ado, here is a projection of what the Detroit Lions will do with their six picks in April’s draft.

1. Delinking PSLE school result certificate to unpaid school fees by parents so our children will have the dignity of receiving what is due to them 2. Implementation of a minimum wage for the low-income earners so our people can have the dignity of earning a decent wage for the hard work put in than constantly relying on hand-out 3. Our people will be able to voice out their grievances courageously despite the threat of suppression as that is the only way to win over tyranny

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Levi King, Chariho basketball, Senior: King scored 42 points and grabbed 24 points in two games as the Chargers opened the season with wins against Ponaganset and Division I South Kingstown. Chas Morgan, Westerly basketball, Senior: Morgan scored 15 points as Westerly started the season with a loss to defending state champion North Kingstown. Morgan had six rebounds in the setback. Vote View Results

ROCKPORT — The Midcoast Recreation Center’s rookie program for ice hockey players six years old and younger, as well as its learn to play ice hockey program for those seven and older, will begin Monday, Jan. 6. Registration is open for both introductory ice hockey programs. The rookie program will be held Mondays and Fridays from 5:30 p.m. to 6:20 p.m. and is held at no cost for the first month of being within the rookie program. Once the rookie program is completed, players graduate to the 6U learn to play hockey program and then to the 6U mighty-mites program. Those seven years old and older can participate in a learn to play hockey program Mondays and Fridays from 5:30 p.m. to 6:20 p.m. for $30 for one day or $50 for two days. Participants in the learn to play hockey program will learn fundamental skating skills necessary for ice hockey. Each player needs a USA Hockey number in order to be on the ice. Prior to register, visit USAhockeyregistration.com to receive a conformation number to be used during registration. Reach the sports department at: sports@penbaypilot.com.

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A truck driver was arrested on Tuesday for fatally striking a pedestrian in East Harlem. A police spokesperson said the incident happened around 5 p.m. on New Year's Eve at the intersection of E. 125 Street and Madison Avenue. A driver in a Safelite truck, who has been identified as Farkell Hopkins, was driving eastbound on 125th Street when he struck the pedestrian, who was attempting to cross the street mid-block. Farkell, who stayed at the scene, has been charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving while intoxicated. The Daily News noted that the victim, believed to be in his 40s, was not carrying ID, and police are still working to identify him. Department of Transportation statistics as of last Monday showed that 215 people died in traffic crashes in 2019, up from 198 in the same time period last year. There have been 117 pedestrian fatalities, also as of Monday, up from 115 in all of 2018. Twenty-nine cyclists have died, nearly triple the fatalities of last year. We've contacted the DOT to get the final count of pedestrian fatalities in 2019.

A woman was shot and killed in a Northeast Philadelphia home on New Year's Eve, bringing the number of murders in the city to 356 for 2019 -- the deadliest year in more than a decade. The shooting happened about 10:30 p.m. in the 5600 block of Frontenac St. in the Summerdale section. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. A man was also found shot in the home and is in critical condition at Einstein Hospital. It was not immediately clear who was the shooter. The violence followed two other shooting deaths Tuesday. Police say one man was fatally shot near Temple University Hospital and another in the Hunting Park section. Police have tallied 356 slayings this year, three more than 2018. The count had fallen to about 250 to 275 homicides annually from 2013 to 2016. Police say they've made arrests this year in just over half the homicide cases. Separately, they say more than 1,450 people were shot in the city this year. Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney announced Monday that he'd selected Police Chief Danielle Outlaw of Portland, Oregon, to lead the 6,500-member force. Outlaw says she's prepared for the challenge and calls gun violence a top priority. There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence. Further information can be found here.

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The son of the woman behind 'Orange Is the New Black' and 'Weeds' has died in a skiing accident in Utah on New Year's Eve, according to local authorities. Charlie Noxon, 20, had been skiing with his two siblings and father - writer Christopher Noxon - at the Park City slopes when he suffered the accident. Noxon is the oldest son Jenji Kohan and Christopher Noxon. The couple were married for 21 years and got divorced in 2018. Charlie Noxon, 20, had been skiing with his two siblings and father - writer Christopher Noxon - at the Park City slopes when he suffered the accident Local law enforcement explained to TMZ that the Columbia University student fell and needed immediate medical attention. Charlie was taken to a nearby hospital by a University of Utah's Medivac Unit helicopter. He was later pronounced dead. No further details surrounding his death are currently available. Charlie appeared in an episode of 'Weeds' back in 2008. Noxon is the oldest son Jenji Kohan and Christopher Noxon. The couple were married for 21 years and got divorced in 2018 Several posts on Christopher Noxon's Instagram page show the family enjoying their time in the Utah town in the days leading up to the accident Several posts on Christopher Noxon's Instagram page show the family enjoying their time in the Utah town in the days leading up to the accident. Noxon shared in a December 30 post that the resort the family was staying in was crowded, adding that he had temporarily lost his phone. The family had been on the trip for at least longer than a week, according to Instagram post.

The son of Jenji Kohan – the woman behind Orange Is the New Black and Weeds – has died aged 20 following a ski accident. Don't miss out on the headlines from Entertainment. Followed categories will be added to My News. Charlie Noxon, the son of Orange Is the New Black and Weeds creator Jenji Kohan, has died aged 20 following a ski accident. Mr Noxon suffered an accident in Park City, Utah, on New Year’s Eve, police authorities and Vail Resorts confirmed to Page Six on Wednesday. RELATED: Micah Downey, of Channel 7’s Bride and Prejudice, has died suddenly RELATED: The most devastating celebrity deaths of the 2010s Park City ski patrol responded to the incident, which occurred on an intermediate trail. Local police told TMZ the Columbia University student fell and needed immediate medical attention. Charlie Noxon, 20, was a student at Columbia University. Picture: Instagram After further emergency care and evaluation, Mr Noxon was pronounced dead by paramedics. “Park City Mountain, Park City Mountain Ski Patrol and the entire Vail Resorts family extend our deepest sympathy and support to our guest’s family and friends,” said Park City Mountain vice-president and chief operating officer Mike Goar in a statement. Charlie had been in the ski town with his father, journalist Christopher Noxon, and his two siblings when the accident took place. Jenji Kohan (second from left) with Lorraine Toussaint, Taylor Schilling and Uzo Aduba at the Orange Is The New Black season 2 premiere. Picture: Getty Images Christopher, who worked on Weeds with his then-wife, split from Kohan in 2018 after 21 years of marriage. Charlie, their eldest son, appeared in an episode of Weeds back in 2008. The couple have a daughter named Eliza, 14, and a son Oscar, 10. A rep for Kohan didn’t immediately return Page Six’s request for comment. This article originally appeared on Page Six and was reproduced with permission Originally published as Orange Is the New Black creator Jenji Kohan’s son dead after ski accident

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More people died in Maine between 2018 and 2019, but migration into the state offset the decrease in population, new data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows. New Hampshire, Vermont and West Virginia were the only other states where deaths outpaced births in the past year. According to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, 12,300 babies were born in Maine in 2018, but 14,700 Mainers died. Population growth has slowed every year since 2015, data shows, with an estimated 328 million people living in the United States this year. It is the slowest growth rate since World War I, according to William Frey of The Brookings Institution A quarter of the population lives in California, Texas and Florida, data shows.

The annual population growth rate of the United States over the past year continued a decades-long decline, dropping to its lowest level in the past century. According to newly released estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. population grew by 1,552,022 since 2018, an increase of one-half of one percent. That rate of growth is slower than during the Great Depression of the 1930s, a period which had until the past decade marked the smallest expansion of the U.S. population since the overall number of inhabitants briefly dropped in 1918 Several factors help explain why the U.S. population growth rate is slowing: Declining fertility rates, more deaths Forty-two states and the District of Columbia all had a drop in the number of births recorded over the past year. And with the number of deaths continuing a steady decade-long rise as more and more post-World War Two baby boomers reach old age, the number of births outnumbered the number of deaths nationwide by fewer than 1 million for the first time in decades. That birth-driven increase in population did not occur this year in West Virginia, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, all of which had more deaths than births. Loading... Fewer immigrants The estimated number of people moving annually to the U.S. from other parts of the world has steadily declined from the decade's highest total of 1,046,709 in 2016, the final year of the Obama administration. This year's expected total of 595,348 immigrants would be the lowest yet in the Trump administration, which has proposed new restrictions on immigration and slashed the number of refugees being granted asylum. Many states have also had residents leaving for other states. Over the past nine years, New York is the state with the largest out-migration, losing 1,379,210 of its residents. They are among more than 2.5 million residents of the U.S. Northeast who have moved to other regions, making it the most widely abandoned part of the country. The Midwest has had the second largest exodus. Of the 1,666,043 Midwesterners who have left since 2010, 865,873 hailed from Illinois. In contrast, the 912,038 people who moved away from California over the past nine years were outnumbered by 1,021,544 moving there from abroad. Other states have had far more people moving in from elsewhere in the country than leaving. Texas has been a top recipient, with 1,145,629 arriving from other states and another 818,757 from abroad since 2010. It's nearly matched by Florida, with 1,289,614 residents of other states moving there and 1,107,039 more coming from abroad. These demographic shifts will likely have consequences when U.S. congressional districts are reapportioned based on the 2020 census. "From the calculations I've done," says William Frey, a demographer and senior fellow at The Brookings Institution, "Texas could gain three seats, Florida could gain two seats. California fairly likely could lose a seat for the first time in its history." Frey predicts the aging of the workforce and the shrinking population growth rate will also have political ramifications. "You know, a lot of our decline of births, or at least slow growth of births, can be countered by immigration from abroad," he tells NPR's Here and Now. "And so immigration is going to be a much bigger part of our growth. So this is something to pay attention to as we move ahead into the next decade. What is our immigration policy going to be? How are immigrants going to fit into the rest of our society, in the rest of our economy?" "The big safety valve in all of this," Frey says, "is immigration."

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Pauseforthecause Chester and Mary Broman's Pauseforthecause brings a three-race win streak into Saturday's $100,000 La Verdad, a seven-furlong tilt for New York-bred fillies 4-years-old and upward at Aqueduct Racetrack. Trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, the homebred daughter of Giant's Causeway is undefeated since a two-month freshening that includes an optional claiming win on September 12 and the October 19 Iroquois at Belmont Park ahead of a last-out romp against open company in the Garland of Roses on December 8 at the Big A. “She's really on a good roll and beat open company last time,” said McLaughlin. “It is seven furlongs and it might be wet – which both are not ideal – but she's a different filly now. She's won three in a row impressively. I don't think the wet will bother us and hopefully the seven furlongs doesn't, either.” A veteran of 23 starts with a record of 7-4-6 and field-best purse earnings of $518,793, the daughter of multiple stakes-winner Spritely has demonstrated particular affinity for the Aqueduct main track where she sports an 8-2-2-4 ledger. “I think she's a really nice filly and the New York-bred part of it helps her a lot,” offered McLaughlin. “We're happy she won open last time and happy to be back with New York-breds this time.” Pauseforthecause was third in a sloppy renewal of this event last year and has yet to score beyond 6 ½-furlongs, but McLaughlin said he is buoyed to have 2019 NYRA circuit-leading rider Manny Franco available for the return mount from post 2. “Manny rode her well last time and won nicely, so we're happy to have him back on,” said McLaughlin. Treadway Racing Stable's Kept True, trained by Leah Gyarmati, arrives at the La Verdad from a convincing 1 ¼-length score in a state-bred allowance event on December 20 at the Big A. The 4-year-old Yes It's True filly, bred by Jeffrey Treadway, will make her first stakes appearance since finishing fifth in the Grade 2 Prioress at Saratoga Race Course in August. Dylan Davis retains the mount from post 3. Reddam Racing's Cash Offer, trained by Mark Hennig, boasts a record of 3-5-1 from 10 starts and will provide a pace presence in the compact field. The Shackleford bay, bred by Taylor Brothers Properties and To Kalon, has been first or second at first call in nine of 10 career starts. The bay daughter of stakes winner Monono will emerge from post 5 under Jose Lezcano. Bluegrass Jamboree, trained and co-owned by Charlton Baker with breeder Sugar Maple Farm, is the field's second-leading money earner with $319,360. The 6-year-old Bluegrass Cat mare boasts a record of 2-2-1 from nine starts at the Big A and will be in search of her first career stakes win under the freshly acquired services of Eric Cancel from post 5. Rounding out the field are Fight On Lucy (post 1, Reylu Gutierrez), Indy's Lady (post 4, Jorge Vargas, Jr.), and Aunt Babe (post 6, Julio Correa). The La Verdad is slated as Race 8 on Saturday's nine-race card. First post is 12:30 p.m. Eastern. New to the Paulick Report? Click here to sign up for our daily email newsletter to keep up on this and other stories happening in the Thoroughbred industry. Copyright © 2020 Paulick Report.

Try out our Premium Member services: Virtual Legal Assistant , Query Alert Service and an ad-free experience. Free for one month and pay only if you like it. Chattisgarh High Court Satyendra Kumar Sarthi @ Chotu vs State Of Chhattisgarh 28 ... on 2 January, 2020 1 MCRC No. 8032 of 2019 NAFR HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH, BILASPUR MCRC No. 8032 of 2019  Satyendra Kumar Sarthi @ Chotu S/o Shiv Prasad Aged About 21 Years R/o Village Belbhata Gidha, Police Station and Tahsil Kharsia, District Raigarh Chhattisgarh. ---- Petitioner Versus  State of Chhattisgarh Through Station House Officer, Dabhra, District Janjgir Champa Chhattisgarh. ---- Respondent For Applicant :- Mr. Ajay Ayachi, Advocate For Respondent-State :- Mr. Sudeep Verma, Dy. G.A. Hon'ble Shri Justice Rajendra Chandra Singh Samant Order On Board 02/01/2020 1. Heard. 2. This is the fifth application for grant of regular bail to the applicant. 3. The first application, MCRC No.4657/2017, was dismissed as withdrawn with a direction for expediting the trial of the case. The second application, MCRC No.4819/2017, was again dismissed as withdrawn on the same date i.e. 2 MCRC No. 8032 of 2019 01.09.2017. The third application, MCRC No.1702/2018, was again dismissed as withdrawn on 08.05.2018. The fourth application was filed by the applicant on medical ground and the same was also withdrawn on 25.02.2019. It is submitted that not a single earlier application of this applicant has been decided on merits. 4. The applicant is in jail since 20.03.2017. He has no criminal antecedent and the trial against him is getting delayed. So far out of 21 witnesses listed in the charge-sheet only 11 have been examined, therefore, it is prayed by learned counsel for the applicant that this application should be allowed. 5. Learned counsel for the State submitted that there is evidence present against the applicant regarding his involvement in commission of crime, therefore, he is not entitled for grant of bail. 6. According to the prosecution case on the date of incident this applicant along with co accused persons forcibly abducted the complainant and then by taking him to a place, the complainant was thrashed and his possessions i.e. cash and other things were looted from him. 7. Considering that this applicant has not any criminal antecedent and further considering that he has undergone 3 MCRC No. 8032 of 2019 detention for a period about 2 years and 10 months and the trial against him is still pending, therefore, for these reasons I feel inclined to allow this application. 8. Accordingly, the application is allowed and the applicant is directed to be released on bail on his executing a personal bond for a sum of Rs.25,000/- with one surety for the like amount to the satisfaction of the trial Court. He is directed to appear before the trial Court on each an every date given by the said Court. Sd/- (Rajendra Chandra Singh Samant) Judge Ankit

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Depositphotos The 2010s were an ironic decade. Most metrics show that human welfare improved at an extraordinary rate, but many of us seem to be fearful or resentful, or both. The world is far richer in 2020 than it was in 2010, and global inequality is declining. There is still plenty of poverty, egregious inequality, and injustice, and there are still brutal wars and civil unrest. But overall, life expectancy is sharply up, and child mortality and deaths during childbirth are sharply down. Despite global warming, the number of deaths and injuries from climate-related disasters has fallen significantly, and many rich countries have passed the point of “peak stuff”: they are using fewer resources, polluting less, and the world has actually increased its forest cover. And yet, the most potent political force in many countries is populism. Some populists are sincere people motivated by genuine conviction, but many more are obvious opportunists. Their claims are consistent: the world used to be a better place; the people’s birthright has been stolen by outsiders, enabled by an established elite, and only the populist can rectify the situation. Oh, and anybody who opposes them is an enemy of the people. Populism is rampant on both sides of the political divide. Today’s right-wing populism is often explained as a reaction against economic disadvantage – the resentment of people who feel left behind by globalism and technological change. There is something in this, but in truth it is much more a cultural phenomenon: a reaction against the decades-long triumphal march of social liberalism, which has overturned what people believed to be the natural order of things. The worst insult a right-wing populist can level is “politically correct.” Populism of the left claims that modern capitalism is a conspiracy by an elite which is dedicated to (or at least indifferent to) the immiseration of the majority. Contrary to what the data shows, it claims that inequality is at an historical extreme, and getting worse. Much of the improvement in the quality of human lives which populists don’t want you to know about was produced by the exponential improvements in technology, so it was perhaps inevitable that the ironic 2010s would see a backlash against technology – the techlash. Social media is accused of enslaving everyone to the dopamine rush of a Facebook like or a Twitter reply, and these accusations are often expressed most forcefully by the most avid users of the technologies they rail against. The tech giants are hoovering up our personal data for nefarious purposes, and recklessly deploying algorithms that are opaque, riddled with bias, and diluting the agency and humanity of a population that is increasingly dumbed down - incapable of paying attention to anything for more than ten seconds, unless it’s a video game or a blockbuster movie. Techlash encompasses artificial intelligence too, which is either feared or ridiculed – or both. Either it is about to take over all human jobs and then destroy the species in a robot apocalypse, or it’s an over-hyped fad: a mere conjuring trick using statistics and human slave labour. In fact, the 2010s were AI’s decade of wonders. In 2011, IBM’s Watson beat the best human players of the US TV quiz show “Jeopardy” - an amazing achievement, and the gracious human loser gave us the memorable phrase “I for one welcome our new robot overlords.” The next year saw the Big Bang in AI, when Geoff Hinton and others figured out how to get machine learning to work in AI – and in particular deep learning, which is (to over-simplify) a rehabilitation of neural networks. What made this possible was the huge increases in the available compute power and data, and what it made possible was superhuman facial recognition, and seriously impressive search, mapping, and translation services. (The often lauded recommendation services are still a bit crap, though.) Two things which will have huge impact during the 2020s showed signs of their promise during the 2010s. Self-driving cars went from being rubbish, to being deployed in a pilot service carrying members of the public in self-driving taxis with nobody in the front seats. Smartphones went from rare in 2010 to globally ubiquitous in 2019. The digital assistants in these phones and other devices (Siri, Cortana, Alexa and co) are basic today, but Google Duplex offers a glimpse of how powerful they will become, and some of this promise will be realised in the 2020s. In the next few days you will probably read many predictions about what AI will and will not be able to do by 2030. Here are a few contributions. There will be another major breakthrough in AI, similar in impact to 2012’s Big Bang Researchers will work out how to combine symbolic AI, or good old-fashioned AI with machine learning Machines will start to display signs of common sense We will still be a long way off artificial general intelligence, or AGI – a machine with all the cognitive abilities of an adult human The business world will move beyond pilots to large-scale implementation, and start catching up with the tech giants Europe will try harder, and might even start to crack the current US-China AI duopoly By 2030, self-driving cars will be a common sight in most cities, but in taxis rather than privately-owned cars Many taxi drivers, van drivers and lorry drivers will be looking for new careers You will have conversations with your phone, and send your digital assistant off into the net to do errands for you 5G will make the internet of things a reality, so predictive maintenance will mean that things will break down and collapse less often, and there will be less waste Virtual and augmented reality will work quite well, and it will be interesting to see whether lots of people spend much of their lives in simulated worlds AI simulations will enable better decisions to be made in business, science and government We may finally be able to turn sick care into health care. There’s a decent chance we will cure many types of cancer, and the idea of ending ageing may well be in the mainstream And yes, we will have flying cars. Some of this may seem fanciful, and predicting the future is, of course, impossible. But here’s the thing which most people still miss. When you read the forecasts elsewhere in the coming days, ask yourself whether they appear to be taking exponential growth into account. Moore’s Law is the observation that computers get twice as powerful every 18 months or so. People often say it is dead or dying, but really it is evolving – which is what it has done since the phenomenon was first observed in 1965. Moore’s Law gives us exponential growth, and exponential growth is astonishingly powerful. If you had one unit of computing power in 2010, you will have 125 units in 2020. How many will you have in 2030? Believe it or not, you will have 8,000 units. Change has never been this fast. And it will never be this slow again. Hang onto your hat: the 2020s are going to be astonishing.

Megan Byrom is a student at Priestley College. Here, she shares her hopes for 2020 IT is 2019, I am 18 years old and I can be almost certain that the next decade, the 2020s, will be an important one. It is a significant decade for me, and many other people my age. I think of my 20s with words emblazoned onto the back of my mind: University, career, marriage, kids, house etc, a Star Wars-esque scroll rolling upwards into my mind and getting stuck there, as I try to unpick just how serious it all sounds. But 2020, and the next year ahead is my priority. My university application is done, but in 2020 I’ll discover where I end up. We’re all turning 18. Some of us will be moving away, and stepping into that unknown void that I know as the world outside of Warrington. But the next decade does not just mark me finally having to act like an adult. It is an important one for the world, for our town and for Britain as a whole. I look at the legacy of the 2010s and I am reminded of deep divisions that have been scoured across this nation. It seems that I am not the only one who has some growing up to do, and I hope that politics can come of age and act with a maturity, tolerance, and wisdom that people always say comes with time. There seems to be a clash of possibilities as I go into the next decade. On one hand, is that steady serious future hanging in the wings, and another are those rising issues braced and waiting to see who can get to me first. But it seems that the next ten years will be vital in preserving that balance that has always kept chaos at bay and will now have to stop sea levels rising, our economy collapsing and keep my future secure. There is a convergence of tensions that make the future appear more vulnerable than ever. And whilst it is important, I don’t know what I am expecting. Perhaps we’ll have total anarchy or maybe we’ll be underwater, but I open my arms to the new decade, and introduce myself to this stranger, that perhaps naively, I’m excited to meet.

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PHOENIX — Since it first opened it's door this past summer--over 1,000 asylum seekers have come through the Migrant Welcome Center in central Phoenix. "This is for younger kids; it's a play area. We have a jungle gym, books for kids," says International Rescue Committee Community Engagement Coordinator Stanford Prescott. When it initially opened its doors, the center, which houses migrants for anywhere from 24 to 48 hours, was designed to take care of the asylum seekers who were spilling onto the city streets as they were dropped off at the Greyhound bus station by customs enforcement after they entered the U.S. "We have the means and the capacity," said Prescott. Since July, the center has grown. Initially the capacity was 70 people and now it can house up to 275. But the center isn't getting full; the week before Christmas there were 91 refugees at the center. Many of them are now having to wait in Mexico before their asylum case is processed. "It's important to remember that regardless of the political decision that are made, people who are fleeing violence in their home countries and are seeking asylum here in the us are first and foremost people," adds Prescott. Prescott says those seeking asylum are not only from Central and South America--about half are from Mexico. "As long as there is violence and percussion in our world there will be refugees and asylum seekers," says Prescott. Many of the cots set up at the welcome center remain unused; meantime, across the border, Stanford says those who have made the pilgrimage fleeing violence remain in harms way. "They are vulnerable folks and remain in an area where there is still significant gang violence and physical and sexual assault. For me personally it's about helping our neighbors, our friends, helping fellow human beings."

Mexico says it has found migrants riding on about half of trains inspected south of the U.S. border. While the largest number of migrants were detained while walking, a significant number were also found on buses or hidden in trucks. Mexico’s government presented figures on its crackdown on migrants, which started in May. Officials say Mexico had detained 178,917 migrants, mainly Central Americans as of nearly the end of 2019. The country deported 84,327 migrants and has received 66,915 asylum claims as reported near the end of 2019.

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At the conference on state budget collection and spending in 2019 in HCM City (Photo: VNA) Phong revealed the information at a conference on state budget collection and spending in 2019 held on December 31. Of the figure, domestic collection and budget revenue from crude oil are projected to stand at nearly 290.83 trillion VND, up 0.17 percent while import-export activities may contribute 115 trillion VND, an increase of 5.7 percent. In 2019, the city’s total state budget collection was estimated at 409.92 trillion VND (17.7 billion USD), exceeding its estimates by 2.7 percent and representing a year-on-year rise of 8.29 percent. Its gross regional domestic product (GRDP) exceeded 1.34 quadrillion VND, up 8.32 percent year-on-year. Vice Director of the municipal Department of Finance Le Ngoc Thuy Trang said 2019 was the first year that the HCM City’s budget collection has surpassed the 400 trillion VND benchmark. Meanwhile, the city spent more than 70.93 trillion VND in the year, or 79.81 percent of its estimate.

2020 has started inauspiciously The PTI has of late seemed to deflect criticism of its economic stewardship in 2019 by claims that 2020 is the year of economic progress, of the fulfilment of promises. Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar began the New Year by saying so. While he may have gladdened the hearts of ardent party supporters by saying so, the PTI government in Islamabad belied his contention by an across-the-board tariff hike that both made prices certain to rise, and ensured that jobs would continue to be shed. While gas and electricity tariffs and fuel prices have all gone up, tax targets have been missed yet again, making it all the more difficult to meet the targets set by the IMF for the year. The PTI claims just on jobs will not be met by its recent steps. It might be true that the tariff hike in electricity, and the rise in fuel prices, are because of increases in world oil prices, but the jobs it promised to create will remain uncreated. Perhaps most damaging for the government, these price rises will mean that food prices will go up. Fuel price rises mean that tubewell irrigation will cost farmers more, while the cost of transporting food crops to markets will also increase. This is apart from the gas tariff increase, which will mean more expensive fertiliser, and thus more expensive crops. While workers having to pay more for food demand higher wages, manufacturers will also have to contend with these tariff hikes, which will directly impact manufacturing. As if these input costs are not enough of a burden, they also have to deal with high interest rates. A major problem in tax administration, which has led FBR to have a shortfall of Rs 118 billion on its half-yearly revised target of Rs 2198 billion, is said to have been the resistance to removing certain members, who have been posted because of closeness to senior political figures. Whether promises about 2020 are to do with the financial year, which ends on June 30, or the calendar year, ending December 31, it is unlikely they will be met, no mtter how much senior figures clamour.

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MP Lloyd Longfield speaks to GuelphToday about his priorities for the new year After the Liberals won a minority government in the federal election, Guelph’s MP Lloyd Longfield says there's an urgency to get everything done within the first two years. He says the upcoming year comes with new priorities and the top priorities for 2020 will be battling housing and mental health and addictions. Longfield says housing will be addressed on many levels such as providing homes for seniors, new homes for young people, solving the homelessness crisis in Guelph and how it interacts with the other priority of mental health and addictions. “The opioid crisis is across Canada. It’s in Guelph. We’ve seen a real rise in the drugs on the street whether its crystal meth or different opiates,” says Longfield, adding that it is important to respond to the need when necessary and the people working in the front lines are crucial in determining what that need is. “A lot of people are homeless because of mental health and addictions so you have to solve mental health and addictions problems before you can prepare to be able to move into homes. And sometimes mental health is because you don’t have a home. They go hand in hand,” says Longfield. “The connection between those two areas in Guelph is very strong and we’ve got great community involvement,” says Longfield, giving the recent example of Legacy Guelph, a local men's group committed to generating 100 new homes in Guelph in the next two years. He says all three orders of governments have to work together and the projects working on homelessness and mental health and addictions interface with the city and the province. While the county delivers support services, the city has to provide support through building codes by freeing up land for development to allow more homes to be built in Guelph. He says part of homelessness and mental health and the connection to small businesses is creating income streams for people so that they can lift themselves out of poverty by finding the right place to apply those skills. Longfield says he will also be working on a number of projects to address climate action such as a funding public transit, installing bike lanes and walking paths. “We have to get past the eco-anxiety to a place where we’re actually solving problems,” says Longfield adding that he will work on is energy conservation on homes to encourage retrofitting, windows and caulking, thermostats and high-efficiency appliances. “We have a federal goal of planting two billion trees. We have a local goal of 40 per cent tree canopy.” Longfield says there's a great need to address the inequity women face and its important to support women and ensure they get the right jobs and that those jobs pay an equal wage to men. “When you look at small business support, the earnings gap between women and men is still a real thing and we could free up the numbers, $1.6 billion into the economy if we’re able to get women earning what men earn,” says Longfield. With women in charge of the Chamber of Commerce, Innovation Guelph, Business Centre Guelph-Wellington, The Circular Food Economy, 10C and Linamar among others, Longfield says it is important to keep encouraging women. “The federal government has programs to encourage women entrepreneurship. We’ve been able to get some funding to the programs here, but the more funding you get, the more development you get which then attracts more investment, private investment as well as government investment,” says Longfield. He says the support for seniors and vulnerable people in Guelph is going to be ongoing. “We’ve got 10-year plans around housing so that's going to be ongoing through 2020,” says Longfield. New priorities include the $10 million Circular Food Economy which will create 50 new businesses. The new parliamentary intern Caroline Woodward assigned to Guelph — from the Parliamentary Internship Program started by Alf Hales from Guelph that assigns 10 interns across Canada — will be connecting to organizations internationally from which Guelph can learn from. Longfield will also be working on improving child literacy, focusing on Canadian literacy. “We need Canadian stories. We need Canadian viewpoints on things and readership of Canadian authors have dropped 50 per cent in the last eight years,” says Longfield. He also has a goal of getting the boil water advisories to zero by March 2021 and has been visiting several Indigenous communities in the past year to talk about the water challenges they have. “Instead of us providing the solutions, them telling us what they need and working on solutions together,” says Longfield adding that he will continue to visit more remote communities in the new year. “Making the connections between our federal initiatives and local initiatives is going to be a big job for the year 2020.”

The New Testament Church of God in Old Harbour, St Catherine was packed to capacity Tuesday with worshippers who rang in the new year with the traditional watchnight service. A major highlight of the night was the baptism of 10 persons - eight females and two males - who responded to a call by Bishop Hugh Dixon to start the new year right by giving their lives to Christ. Loop News was there to capture that and more. Check out the photo gallery below. New Year Baptism Old Harbour

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Pin Yum WhatsApp 0 Shares Every year on my birthday, I would wake up to a room full of balloons and an ice cream cake giving new meaning to the phrase cake for breakfast. My parents showed me how special birthdays are and I have adopted some of those traditions with my own friends and family members, specifically my kids. Whether you are celebrating a birthday, an anniversary, or any number of significant life events, Medieval Times is the perfect place to celebrate like royalty. Sponsored. Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament Celebrating my daughter’s birthday is always tricky, given that she was born right before Christmas. Every year, I make a concerted effort to ensure her birthday does not get lost in the busyness of the season. We decided to celebrate her birthday at Medieval Times, a first for our family. The family dinner theater is set in a replica of an 11th-century castle and features medieval-inspired games, sword-fighting and jousting. A four-course meal is served throughout the show, and eaten in traditional utensil-free fashion. Arrive early and you can see an impressive display of Medieval weaponry, and coats of arms. Admire the beauty of the horses and the royal falcon before the performance or take a stroll through the Museum of Torture (use caution with young children). The performance begins with the introduction of the six knights of the realm and their countries, each represented by a color. It is during this time that audiences are treated to an impressive display of choreographed equestrian skills, including the art of dressage by the Andalusian stallions, falconry, and Medieval pageantry in the Grand Arena. We learn that Doña Maria Isabella is the first female ruler. The Knights then compete in games of skill during the Tournament including the ring pierce, the flag toss, and the javelin throw. During the Tournament Royal, the audience participates by cheering on their Knight to victory as they compete in jousting matches and perilous sword fights. The winner is deemed the Champion and Defender of the Realm and selects a lady from the audience to be the Queen of Love and Beauty. TIP: After the show, head to the Hall of Arms to meet the cast from the show. This is a great opportunity to take some really cool photos to commemorate your visit to Medieval Times. You can also use this time to see the horses and the falcon if you missed them before the show. Show run time is approximately 2 hours. Medieval Times Menu Families are served a four-course meal, timed with show. The meal includes garlic bread, tomato bisque soup, roasted chicken, sweet buttered corn, herb-basted potato, dessert, coffee, and two rounds of non-alcoholic beverages. Vegan, Vegetarian, and Gluten-free menu options are available, but be sure to tell you server ahead of time. Options include hummus, warm pita bread, carrot and celery sticks, three-bean stew with fire roasted tomato and brown rice, fresh fruit or Italian ice, coffee and two rounds of alcoholic beverages. Celebrations at Medieval Times While birthdays are the most common celebration at Medieval Times, you can celebrate any event including graduations, holiday parties, family reunions, military events, religious events, anniversary parties and dinners, homecoming, prom, baby showers, quinceañeras, promotions and retirement parties and more. Medieval Times Birthday Package is an additional $10 per person and includes a Birthday announcement during the show, a group photo, a slice of cake, a frozen strawberry slushie in a souvenir castle cup, and a cheering banner (valid for groups of 10 or more). Visit MedievalTimes.com to plan your next celebration at Medieval Times. Medieval Times Discount and Giveaway Right now, you can save 40% on Adults & 20% on Kids using the code USF4020. Please note that this offer is not valid in Scottsdale, AZ. Valid through 9/30/2020. Restrictions may apply. Medieval Times is giving away 200 tickets! Five random winners will be selected monthly through September 2020 for a total of 50 winners (four tickets each)! Winners will be notified via email during the first week of each month. Tickets will be emailed within two weeks. Not valid Saturdays at the Buena Park, CA castle. Enter here: https://woobox.com/j2wq4d #MTCelebrate #MedievalTimes

LARKANA: Eight out of 20 new dialysis machines are dysfunctional because of faulty RO plant at Chandka Medical College Hospital, Larkana. As many as 20 new dialysis machines were supplied to Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH) in June 2018 along with two Reverse Osmosis (RO) plants by the health department; out of which 12 have been installed a few days back on the ground floor after lapse of one and half year and eight on the first floor of the CMCH Dialysis Center. One out of three RO plants supplied with the machines is found faulty due to which eight machines installed on the first floor are yet to be made functional. Sources at the CMCH Dialysis Center told PPI on Wednesday that the Sindh health department procured 200 dialysis machines for various healthcare facilities in Sindh but nothing was informed in 2018 as to who procured the machines and who their suppliers were. They said that due to this ambiguity instead of urgent installation and the machines were dumped at the store. The issue was finally taken up by the probing agencies after which documents were supplied to the relevant hospitals in the province which later also received these machines. The sources said 14 old dialysis machines have now been kept aside as 40 to 45 kidney-failure patients are daily receiving dialysis each for 3 to 3.30 hours whenever they needed it. They said 160 dialysis patients are registered at the moment, who belong to various areas out of which 85 are hepatitis negative, 60 hepatitis positive and 15 are HIV positive. Five machines are reserved for Hepatitis negative, five for hepatitis positive and four for HIV positive patients (out of which two are working and the remaining two are dysfunctional). When this scribe visited the site there was no female staff nurse posted to look after the female patients and all work was done by the male staff. Duty doctors said on condition of anonymity as they have been banned from talking to media they could not say anything. However, they said that they have been facing acute shortage of medics and paramedics since long but the CMCH authorities are not paying heed to their several complaints. They said five dialysis technicians are posted against the need of 10 technicians, six doctors are posted against the demand of 12 who work in three shifts. They said that this vital ward has even no ward boy and a man has been hired by them on daily wages basis out of their own pocket. CCTV cameras have already been installed to monitor the dialysis process but an acute shortage of trained manpower has added to the woes of patients. Head of Department Dr Zahid Shaikh said that despite some shortcomings the Center is now working smoothly for the benefit of poverty-ridden dialysis patients. He said a shortage of required medics and paramedics would also be tackled so that workload could be reduced.

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Every time a year comes to an end, a flurry of memes appear in the trenches of social media. Most have a central theme: ‘This year was hard. It’s over. Now, here’s your chance.’ The only issue with this mentality is that it doesn’t set the stage for success or provide the roadmap you need to actually make a change. After all, if you feel defeated every December 31, it could be that your attitude needs an adjustment more than anything else. As psychotherapist and author Tina B. Tessina, PhD, explains, generally speaking, positive happy people have an easier time in life, and they bounce back from problems faster. And even if you aren’t a naturally optimistic person, there are strategies you can exercise to improve your outlook. Here, some recommended by experts: Write down and visualize your goals. When you’re tossing and turning at night, and can’t find a comfortable position, it’s not your body that’s to blame, but your brain. Chances are you would sleep more soundly if you turned on a light and scribbled down the to-do list that’s keeping you awake. In a similar vein, if you never put your goals to pen-and-paper, you don’t give yourself the opportunity to visualize them. To create more motivation behind your aspirations, Dr. Tessina suggests listing out your goals and then pausing to manifest what it would feel like to achieve them. “This practice will alert your brain to notice things and events that are related to your goal. You will automatically be more aware of certain events, opportunities, and people who can be helpful,” she explains. “You’ll also be more clear about what you want, and this will sneak into your conversation and your general attitude, where others can pick up on it.” Give yourself credit. For some, it’s much easier to focus on the shortcomings rather than the successes of their year. Sure, you made some mistakes. Maybe you even fell a little short on some of your goals. But you also had some peaks and experiences that warrant a celebration. As psychologist Dr. Yvonne Thomas, Ph.D. explains, make time to recognize the progress you have made, no matter how big, small or medium-sized it may be. “People too often only notice what is negative in their lives or negative about themselves and can take for granted or diminish what they have achieved,” she continues. “So, give yourself credit where it is due and positively reinforce the healthy new ways you are thinking, feeling, and behaving. By doing this, you are motivating yourself to have more confidence and commitment to working towards and completing your goals.” Ask for what you want. As you think of the year (or decade!) ahead, do you see yourself getting a raise? A promotion? Both? Maybe a job switch, or perhaps a jump to a completely different industry. If any of these are in the cards for you, it’s time to start thinking about how you’re going to ask for it. As Dr. Tessina explains, all too often, people forget that asking for what they want is the first step in getting there. If you know you are worthy of more zeros on your paycheck, schedule a candid, professional conversation with your manager to address what needs to happen to make this a reality. If you are ready to jump ship, ask for coffee with a mentor or a leader in your field, so pick their brains on making the transformation. “If you make requests confidently as if you expect to get a ‘yes,’ it ups the odds that you’ll get one,” she adds. Accept help and compliments, with thanks. Even if you are the top of your field with a laundry list of accolades, you may struggle with accepting praise. And regardless if you have a team of experienced, talented employees, you may still battle delegating tasks you can do yourself. To be an effective leader with a bright perspective, learning to accept help and complements is essential. After all, no one can do everything alone, and the more you welcome aid, the happier you will feel in your day-to-day, Dr. Tessina explains. “Don’t worry about whether you deserve the compliment. If someone says something nice, and you think you don’t deserve it, you’re effectively calling that person a liar, which is not charming at all,” she continues. “Gratitude for kindness begets more kindness. Nothing works better than a pleasant ‘thank you so much’ to make the kind person feel appreciated, and wanting to give you more.” Invest in yourself. You probably stow away cash in a retirement account. You also remember everyone’s birthday — and never forget to send a card. You’re the first to volunteer to help out with a social event at the office and always available when your friend needs an emergency vent session. But what about you? Dr. Thomas says it’s essential for professionals to carve out time (and finances) to invest in themselves. This means different things for everyone but these should be aspects of your routine that nurture and replenish you physically, cognitively and emotionally. “Exercise, meditation, and mindfulness are good for your body and help to deescalate feelings. Also, eating in a healthy way, drinking an adequate amount of water, sleeping enough, and having some down-time away from responsibilities and stress is essential in helping recharge your system,” she recommends. To improve your brainpower (and thus, mood), she suggests crossword puzzles, new classes or even reading for knowledge. On an emotional level, build your tribe: people who will be by your side, no matter what. Change your vocabulary. Right now, you have a dialogue running in your mind — with or without your permission. And though you probably don’t care to admit it, the words you use to speak to yourself are likely far less friendly than the ones you pick when chatting with a friend. Dr. Tessina says many people use self-defeating and negative language to talk to themselves. You may think it’s only brain chatter but it’s more powerful than you think. “Your thoughts affect your mood, and how you relate to yourself can either lift or dampen your spirits. Neuronal activity in the brain activates hormones that are synonymous with feelings,” Dr. Tessina says. To shift your perspective in 2020, begin by monitoring your self-talk. If your messages are constantly negative, changing them will lift your energy levels and strengthen your sense of self and purpose. “Your brain tends to repeat familiar things over and over, going again and again over established neuronal pathways,” Dr. Tessina explains. “Repeating a mantra, an affirmation or a choice over and over creates new pathways, which eventually become automatic. The new thoughts will run through your head as the old thoughts did, or like a popular song you’ve heard over and over.”

Everything you need to know about how to watch the next meteor shower. Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto - Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto Keep your eyes on the skies, the first meteor shower of the year is due to peak this weekend. Signs of the Quadrantid meteor shower began in the tail end of December, but the event peaks in early January. Meteor showers usually occur when particles of comet debris enter our atmosphere and burn up, appearing as shooting stars. The Quadrantid shower, however, is a product of an asteroid. This year the spectacle of the Quadrantid shower will be most visible from dark on January 3 and will peak at dawn on Saturday, January 4. While the peak of the shower won't be until the early hours, there's a good chance you'll see shooting stars during the later part of the evening so you won't have to stay up too late to catch a glimpse. It will be visible to the naked eye so there is no need for any equipment, just let your eyes adjust to the dark and look out for fast and bright meteors with fine trains. For the best views find a safe location that is away from sources of light pollution such as street lights and where you can scan the whole sky.

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The majority of workers around the world are significantly behind on their goals. But with a few simple steps, it's possible to catch up.

MONROE, Mich. (AP) — A southeastern Michigan police officer is credited with pushing two people out of the path of a suspected drunken motorist who nearly slammed into them and then fled the scene. Monroe police said the officer had pulled over a vehicle early Sunday along the city’s Telegraph Road when an SUV came barreling toward the back of his police cruiser. The officer quickly pushed two people over the roadway’s guardrail to prevent them from being hit, Monroe Police Capt. Jon Wall told WDIV-TV. “He heard what sounded like a car slamming on its brakes, which was squealing the tires, which alerted him to look into that particular direction,” Wall said. The SUV went up on a sidewalk before its driver put it in reverse and fled the scene. Police pursued the SUV and soon arrested the motorist. Walls said the suspect is facing several charges, including fleeing, resisting and obstructing.

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DETROIT (WWJ) -- Detroit police are investigating after gun violence broke out across the city on New Year's Eve and early New Year's morning, leaving one person dead and at least eight others injured. Authorities are investigating numerous unrelated cases, including a fatal shooting on the city's west side. Police discovered the body of an unidentified male with a fatal gunshot wound just before noon Wednesday in the 9100 block of Monica Street, in the area of Livernois and Joy Road. Police believe the victim is in his early 20s, but circumstances surrounding his death were not clear and are still being investigated. Anyone with information about the man's death is asked to call the Detroit Police Department's Homicide Unit at 313-596-2260 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800 Speak Up. Authorities reported three shooting incidents that happened Tuesday night, including a 17-year-old male that shot himself in the leg in the 8900 block of Whitcomb, near Joy and Greenfield Roads. Police say they received the call about 8:40 p.m. and the victim said he found the gun on W. Chicago. The boy's condition was not disclosed. Police responded to a shooting in the area of 7 Mile Road and Riopelle Street on the city's east side around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. According to authorities, a victim was attempting to sell a pair of gym shoes to an unknown suspect when the suspect allegedly pulled out a handgun and tried to rob the victim. A struggle ensued, resulting in the weapon discharging and striking the victim. The suspect -- who police describe as about 5-foot-8 and wearing black gloves -- fled the location, while the victim was taken to the hospital and listed in stable condition. The circumstances surrounding this incident are still being investigated. Around the same time in southwest Detroit, an unknown suspect allegedly fired multiple shots into a home in the 1200 block of Ethel Street, striking a 29-year-old man multiple times. The victim was taken to a hospital and listed in critical condition. Police are still investigating the incident. While there were countless reports of "celebratory" gunfire as the calendar turned to 2020, Detroit police reported a number of other shooting incidents across the city that led to injuries. A woman was driving on Strasburg Street near 7 Mile around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday when a a dark colored vehicle began driving towards her. She honked her horn in an attempt to avoid a crash and an unknown occupant in the vehicle pulled out a weapon and fired multiple shots, striking her. While the suspects fled in an unknown direction, the woman was taken to a hospital, where she was listed in temporary serious condition. Police are still investigating the incident. Police say another woman was shot just before 4 a.m. in the 13600 block of Grand River Avenue by an unknown suspect. The 22-year-old woman drove to a gas station in the 13500 block of Livernois and called for assistance. Her condition was not released. At around 4:30 a.m. in the area of Puritan Avenue and Linwood, two men were stopped at a gas station when they were shot by an unknown suspect. The victims, ages 22 and 30, were listed in stable condition and police say they are searching for a suspect, described only as a black male. Just before 5 a.m., a 24-year-old man was shot while walking on Puritan at an unknown cross street. Detroit police are still investigating each incident and are asking anyone with any information to contact them. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers of Michigan at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.

DETROIT – A 17-year-old accidentally shot himself Tuesday in Detroit with a gun he said he found, according to police. Police said the teen was mishandling a handgun in the 8900 block of Whitcomb about 8:40 p.m. when he shot himself. The teen claims he found the gun on W. Chicago, police said. The incident remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Detroit Police Department’s 2nd Precinct at 313-596-5200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.

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The No. 1 job in America that requires no experience pays $100,000 a year — and it’s NOT in Silicon Valley The Secure Act changes the way people will inherit money — are you hit by the new rules? Economic Report U.S. trade deficit in goods drops 5.4% in November to a 27-month low U.S. trade deficit in 2019 still on track to be largest in 11 years The numbers: The nation’s trade deficit in goods fell sharply in November for the second month in a row and touched the lowest level in more than two years, but it’s probably not enough to prevent the annual gap in 2019 from being the largest in 11 years. The trade gap in goods fell 5.4% to $63.2 billion in November from a revised $66.8 billion in the prior month, according to advanced figures released by the government. That’s the lowest level since August 2017. The trade deficit has experienced repeated ups and downs during a two-year trade war with China as companies sought to time orders around the imposition or termination of tariffs. Yet the overall trade deficit itself has continued to creep higher Read: Wall Street doubts grow as U.S. and China struggle to finish off ‘skinny’ trade deal What happened: Goods imports slid 1.3% in November to $199.6 billion. The U.S. imported fewer farm, consumer and industrial goods in November. Exports of U.S. goods, meanwhile, rose 0.7% to $136.4 billion. The U.S. exported more crops, autos and industrial supplies. Most trading between countries involves goods such as autos, airplanes, oil, chemicals, electronics, clothing and the like. The full November trade report comes out next week and includes services. The U.S. has run a surplus for years in services such as banking, tourism and entertainment, but they reflect a smaller portion of overall trade. The advanced report also showed no change in wholesale inventories in November and a 0.7% gain in retail inventories. The advanced figures suggest gross domestic product could be somewhat higher in the fourth quarter than Wall Street has been forecasting. Big picture: The sharp decline in the trade deficit for the second month in a row came as a big surprise, but it doesn’t really change the overall picture. The U.S. has run large trade deficits for years despite on-and-off efforts by Washington to rein them in. While the Trump administration’s tough stance toward China has cause imports from that country to decline, imports from other countries have risen. What they are saying? “The White House would like to see more of this, but for once at least, the U.S. trade deficit showed a solid, and surprising improvement in November,” said senior economist Avery Shenfeld of CIBC World Markets. “The result could bump up forecasts a bit for [fourth-quaqrter] GDP, but its too early to call this a trend, particularly with a lot of it coming from a weaker import picture.” Market reaction: The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA-0.3% and S&P 500 SPX-0.32% were set to open higher in Monday trades. Read: It’s great the stock market is setting records, but it’s not because economy is great The 10-year Treasury yield BX:TMUBMUSD10Y+2.39% edged up to 1.93%. See original version of this story

China's central bank announced Wednesday it was cutting the reserve requirements for banks, freeing up about $114 billion to boost lending and spur the slowing economy. The People's Bank of China will cut the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) on 6 January by 50 basis points, it said in a statement, reducing the amount of cash banks must hold. Lowering the ratio frees up more money for banks to lend to small businesses. The central bank cut the requirement three times in 2019 to bolster the Chinese economy, which grew at the slowest rate in three decades last year. State news agency Xinhua said the latest cut will "offset the impacts of cash demand" ahead of the Spring Festival in late January. Nomura investment bank chief China economist Ting Lu said in a note that the move reflected Beijing's concerns over tightening credit and other pressures on the economy, but was likely to have only a limited impact. "We believe the economy has yet to hit the bottom given strong growth headwinds. The market may turn much more optimistic about China's growth prospects, similar to early 2019, but we recommend caution on the economic impact of the RRR cut," he wrote. Cooling domestic demand and a bruising trade war with the United States have contributed to the economic slowdown. Washington and Beijing last month announced a "Phase One" trade deal, de-escalating their nearly two-year trade war as President Donald Trump reduced or cancelled some tariffs while Beijing promised to adopt trade reforms and buy more US farm exports. The partial trade agreement will be signed in the middle of January, Trump said Tuesday, announcing that he will also travel to China for continued talks.

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The drive up to David Hockney’s Los Angeles home in the Hollywood Hills is a narrow, winding route, full of hairpin turns. At the top of a hill, his compound is fortressed away behind an expanse of fence, hidden within a barely tamed jungle of palm trees and bird of paradise plants. Nearly every surface—the walls, the walkways connecting the buildings, the handrails and the roofs—has been painted brilliant colors: bubblegum pink, cerulean, canary yellow, sea green. The color story continues inside Hockney’s studio, a cavernous...

Breitbart- Ride-sharing giant Uber and courier service Postmates have filed a lawsuit aimed at putting the brakes on California’s new law that will reclassify gig workers as employees, potentially burdening tech companies with millions of dollars in new personnel costs. The lawsuit, filed Monday in a Los Angeles federal court, claims that the law violates the U.S. Constitution because it singles out app-based gig workers and online companies for unfair treatment, according to multiple reports. The companies claim that the law would deprive their drivers of the right to earn a living in the manner of their choosing. They also called it a “thinly veiled attempt” to target gig economy businesses. “It irreparably harms network companies and app-based independent service providers by denying their constitutional rights to be treated the same as others to whom they are similarly situated,” the complaint states. more

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Kochi: Residents in the neighbourhood of over 300 illegal waterfront apartment complexes at Maradu, ordered to be demolished by the Supreme Court, have begun an indefinite fast, seeking urgent government intervention to secure the safety of their houses. They fear that the demolition of the apartment complexes by controlled implosion would extensively damage their houses. The residents, who began the fast on Wednesday, alleged that their houses were damaged even in the pre-demolition work carried out by agencies contracted with demolishing them. The authorities have set January 11 and 12 as dates for the demolition of over 300 flats. The intermediate walls of the buildings have been demolished through pre-demolition works and now the apartments are standing on bare structures. Ernakulam district authorities and other agencies, including Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation, have started completing formalities, including issuing No Objection Certificates and clearance certificates to the firms won the contracts to bring down the structures, official sources said. Around 850 kg of explosives are reportedly required for the demolition of the buildings using controlled implosion. A total of 343 waterfront flats were built in the Maradu municipality by violating the Coastal Regulation Zone norms. The Supreme Court in September last year had directed demolition of the apartment complexes within 138 days, a timeline given by the Kerala government. On May 8 last year, the apex court had directed that these buildings be removed within a month as they were constructed in a notified CRZ, which was part of the tidally-influenced water body in Kerala. The court had passed the order after taking note of a report of a three-member committee, which said when the buildings were built, the area was already notified as a CRZ and construction was prohibited. Get the best of News18 delivered to your inbox - subscribe to News18 Daybreak. Follow News18.com on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, TikTok and on YouTube, and stay in the know with what's happening in the world around you – in real time.

New Delhi: In a bid to protect consumer interests, TRAI on Wednesday made amendments to the new regulatory framework for cable and broadcasting services under which cable TV users will be able to access more channels at lower subscription price. Significantly, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) capped at Rs. 160 the amount consumers will have to pay monthly for all free to air channels. TRAI, in a statement, said it has decided that in case of multi-TV homes where more than one TV connection is working in the name of one person, it will charge a maximum of 40 per cent of declared Network Capacity Fee (NCF) for the second and additional TV connections. After examining various provisions, TRAI has also reduced the maximum NCF charge to Rs 130 (excluding taxes) for 200 channels. In addition, it has also been decided that channels declared mandatory by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting will not be counted in the number of channels in the NCF. The Authority has also permitted Distribution Platform Operators (DPOs) to offer discounts on long-term subscriptions which are for six months or more. The sum of the a-la-carte rates of the pay channels forming part of a bouquet shall in no case exceed one and a half times the rate of the bouquet of which such pay channels are a part, the TRAI said. The a-la-carte rates of each pay channel (MRP), forming part of a bouquet, shall in no case exceed three times the average rate of a pay channel of the bouquet of which such pay channel is a part, it said. TRAI also decided that only those channels which have an MRP of Rs 12 or less will be permitted to be part of the bouquet offered by broadcasters. The regulator said it has also considered the concern of broadcasters regarding huge carriage fee being charged by DPOs. A cap of Rs 4 lakh per month has been prescribed on carriage fee payable by a broadcaster to a DPO in a month for carrying a channel in the country, the TRAI said. The Authority has also considered giving more flexibility to DPOs to place the TV channels on Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) and mandated that channel of a language in a genre will be kept together while placing channels on EPG. Such EPG lay out is to be mandatorily reported to the TRAI and no change in this can be done without prior approval of the Authority, the statement said. The new rules are part of the changes the regulator has made to its 2017 tariff order for broadcasting and cable TV services. They will be effective from March 1. Get the best of News18 delivered to your inbox - subscribe to News18 Daybreak. Follow News18.com on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, TikTok and on YouTube, and stay in the know with what's happening in the world around you – in real time.

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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Sioux Falls police say a man was arrested after allegedly robbing a casino by dousing a clerk with gasoline and threatening to light the employee on fire. The Argus Leader reports police responded to a report of a man walking into a casino near downtown around 8 a.m. on Tuesday, throwing a cup of gasoline on the clerk and threatening to light her on fire if she didn't give him cash from the register. Police say she complied and he left the scene with an undisclosed amount of money. Detectives found and arrested the 70-year-old man at a hotel. He faces charges of first-degree robbery and aggravated assault. Police say the man was identified because he was wearing the same shoes and coat caught on surveillance video of the robbery.

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Frozen Broccoli and Frozen Cauliflower Market Report 2020 Key Leading Countries, New Product Offerings, Geographic Presence Analysis and Forecast 2026 Posted on Jan 2 2020 6:55 AM "Global Frozen Broccoli and Frozen Cauliflower Market Report offers industry news by region, technological developments, value chain status, and market scope 2026. " Global ' Frozen Broccoli and Frozen Cauliflower Market Report analysis is distributed based on key manufactures, product types, major applications, and main regions. Based on the industrial chain, this report primarily explains the definition, types, applications and key players of Frozen Broccoli and Frozen Cauliflower market in details. Most important Regions play dynamic role in Frozen Broccoli and Frozen Cauliflower market are: North America, Europe, China, Japan, Middle East & Africa, India, South America, Others. Get a Sample Copy of the Report- https://www.industryresearch.co/enquiry/request-sample/14958336 In this report deep analysis regarding Frozen Broccoli and Frozen Cauliflower market status, enterprise competition outline, benefits and drawbacks of enterprise product, development trends, regional industrial layout characteristics and economics policies, industrial policy has additionally been enclosed. As of raw materials to downstream buyers of this industry are analysed scientifically, the feature of product circulation and sales channel are given as well. In short, this Frozen Broccoli and Frozen Cauliflower report can assist you to determine a panorama of commercial development and characteristics of the Frozen Broccoli and Frozen Cauliflower market. Research report contains data about following major players in Frozen Broccoli and Frozen Cauliflower market: GreenGiant Giant Foods PAL FROZEN FOODS Birdseye Caulipower ASC Co., Ltd. The Right Solution Brecon Foods, Inc. 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For More Information or Query or Customization Before Buying, Visit at- https://www.industryresearch.co/enquiry/pre-order-enquiry/14958336 Frozen Broccoli and Frozen Cauliflower Market Segmentation: Major Types Covered: Frozen Broccoli Frozen Cauliflower Major Applications Covered: Direct sales Distribution Frozen Broccoli and Frozen Cauliflower market report offers insights of industrial chain, major player's market shares and upstream raw materials suppliers concerned in Frozen Broccoli and Frozen Cauliflower market based on industrial chain analysis, production process analysis, labour cost, raw material value price structure of Frozen Broccoli and Frozen Cauliflower, supply of raw materials for major manufacturers present in industry until 2019 and downstream clients. This report offers Frozen Broccoli and Frozen Cauliflower market research and forecast considering market price and volume by type, applications and regions for next 5 years. The Frozen Broccoli and Frozen Cauliflower market report additionally provides new project feasibility analysis, trade barriers, new entrants swot analysis and suggestions on new project investment in market. Purchase this Report (Price 3460 USD for a Single-User License)- https://www.industryresearch.co/purchase/14958336 Detailed TOC of Global Frozen Broccoli and Frozen Cauliflower Industry Market Research Report, Segment by Player, Type, Application, Marketing Channel, and Region Table of Content 1 Introduction 1.1 Objective of the Study 1.2 Definition of the Market 1.3 Market Scope 1.3.1 Market Segment by Type, Application and Marketing Channel 1.3.2 Major Regions Covered (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Mid East & Africa) 1.4 Years Considered for the Study (2014-2026) 1.5 Currency Considered (U.S. Dollar) 1.6 Stakeholders 2 Key Findings of the Study 3 Market Dynamics 3.1 Driving Factors for this Market 3.2 Factors Challenging the Market 3.3 Opportunities of the Global Frozen Broccoli and Frozen Cauliflower Market (Regions, Growing/Emerging Downstream Market Analysis) 3.4 Technological and Market Developments in the Frozen Broccoli and Frozen Cauliflower Market 3.5 Industry News by Region 3.6 Regulatory Scenario by Region/Country 3.7 Market Investment Scenario Strategic Recommendations Analysis 4 Value Chain of the Frozen Broccoli and Frozen Cauliflower Market 4.1 Value Chain Status 4.2 Upstream Raw Material Analysis 4.3 Midstream Major Company Analysis (by Manufacturing Base, by Product Type) 4.4 Distributors/Traders 4.5 Downstream Major Customer Analysis (by Region) 5 Global Frozen Broccoli and Frozen Cauliflower Market-Segmentation by Type 5.1 Frozen Broccoli 5.2 Frozen Cauliflower 6 Global Frozen Broccoli and Frozen Cauliflower Market-Segmentation by Application 6.1 Direct sales 6.2 Distribution 7 Global Frozen Broccoli and Frozen Cauliflower Market-Segmentation by Marketing Channel 7.1 Traditional Marketing Channel (Offline) 7.2 Online Channel Contact Us: Name: Ajay More Phone: US +1424 253 0807/ UK +44 203 239 8187 Email ID: [email protected] Our Other Report: Global Bicycle-Sharing System Market is Expected to Grow its Value by Sales and Revenue Forecast Report 2024 Hearing Aid Market Size 2019-2024 Segmentation by Region, Key Players, Product Types and Application

(MENAFN- America News Hour) Kenneth Research provides an extensive study by our analysts which offers forecast assessment by correlating the historical data with key market dynamics. The Optical Fiber Cable Market further includes trends and opportunities that are highlighted, along with the market valuation. The market is segmented by segments and portrays the industry overview along with elaborate description of the market for the forecast period 2020-2025. The report also constitutes future growth statistics which is estimated for the forecast period coupled with the market share held by individual segments. The report covers the forecast and analysis of the Optical Fiber Cable Market on a global and regional level. The study provides historical data from 2015 to 2019 along with a forecast from 2020-2025 based on revenue (USD Million). The study includes drivers and restraints of the Market along with the impact they have on the demand over the forecast period. Additionally, the report includes the study of opportunities available in the Optical Fiber Cable Market on a global level. Click Here to Download Sample Report >> https://www.kennethresearch.com/sample-request-10206377 In order to give the users of this report a comprehensive view of the Optical Fiber Cable Market, we have included a competitive landscape and an analysis of Porter's Five Forces model for the market. The study encompasses a market attractiveness analysis, wherein all the segments are benchmarked based on their market size, growth rate, and general attractiveness. The report provides company market share analysis to give a broader overview of the key players in the market. In addition, the report also covers key strategic developments of the market including acquisitions & mergers, new products & service launches, agreements, partnerships, collaborations & joint ventures, research & development, and regional expansion of major participants involved in the market on a global and regional basis. Request For Full Report >> https://www.kennethresearch.com/sample-request-10206377 And in this report, we analyze global market from 5 geographies: Asia-Pacific [China, Southeast Asia, India, Japan, Korea, Oceania], [China, Southeast Asia, India, Japan, Korea, Oceania], Europe [Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia, Spain, Netherlands, Turkey, Switzerland], [Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia, Spain, Netherlands, Turkey, Switzerland], North America [United States, Canada, Mexico], [United States, Canada, Mexico], Middle East & Africa [GCC, North Africa, South Africa], [GCC, North Africa, South Africa], South America [Brazil, Argentina, Columbia, Chile, Peru]. Key Companies Key Companies Optical Cable Corporation (OCC) OFS (Furukawa) AFL Global Corning CommScope General Cable Belden AKSH OPTIFIBRE LIMITED Himachal Futuristic Communications Limited (HFCL) Fujikura Segmentation: Market by Type Multimode Fiber Single-mode Fiber Market by Application Self-supporting aerial cable Duct optical cable Armored buried cable Submarine optical cable Request For Full Report >> https://www.kennethresearch.com/sample-request-10206377 Competitive Analysis: The Optical Fiber Cable Market report examines competitive scenario by analyzing key players in the market. The company profiling of leading market players is included in this report with Porter's five forces analysis and Value Chain analysis. Further, the strategies exercised by the companies for expansion of business through mergers, acquisitions, and other business development measures are discussed in the report. The financial parameters which are assessed include the sales, profits and the overall revenue generated by the key players of Market. Key points covered in this report: The historical and current data is provided in the report based on which the future projections are made and the industry analysis is performed. The import and export details along with consumption value and production capability of every region is mentioned in the report. Porter's five forces analysis, value chain analysis, SWOT analysis are some additional important parameters used for the analysis of market growth. The report provides the clients with the facts and figures about the market on the basis of evaluation of the industry through primary and secondary research methodologies. About Kenneth Research: Kenneth Research is a reselling agency which focuses on multi-client market research database. The primary goal of the agency is to help industry professionals including various individuals and organizations gain an extra edge of competitiveness and help them identify the market trends and scope. The quality reports provided by the agency aims to make decision making easier for industry professionals and take firm decisions which helps them to form strategies after complete assessment of the market. Some of the industries under focus include healthcare & pharmaceuticals, ICT & Telecom, automotive and transportation, energy and power, chemicals, FMCG, food and beverages, aerospace and defense and others. Kenneth Research also focuses on strategic business consultancy services and offers a single platform for the best industry market research reports. Contact Us Kenneth Research Email: Phone: +1 313 462 0609 Eli Eli is a freelance writer and possess double graduation degree in physics and chemistry. She is an intense writer covering everything for Science and Tech to Business, Entertainment, Sports and Lifestyle.

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The Ministry of Land Management on Thursday denied requests to intervene in a Koh Kong sugar land dispute following villagers’ protests that foreign firms had failed to provide promised compensation for their evictions. On Wednesday, more than 100 villagers, representing about 200 families in Chi Khor Leu commune in Sre Ambel district, gathered in front of the Ministry of Land Management. They urged minister Chea Sophara to intervene as they claimed London-based buyer company Tate & Lyle Sugars had promised to compensate them $6,000 per family. Eang Vuthy, director of land rights organization Equitable Cambodia, which works on the case, confirmed that there had been a settlement agreement, but declined to specify the amount due to confidentiality issues. “The agreement was signed 4-5 years ago between the 200 households, KSL and Tate&Lyle,” he told VOD in a message. In full: https://vodenglish.news/villagers-accuse-uk-firm-of-failing-to-pay-compensation-in-sugar-dispute/ © 2019, All rights reserved.

Sevilla train with full compliment ahead of Athletic Club clash LaLiga No injuries for Lopetegui Julen Lopetegui had his entire first team squad available as Sevilla trained on Wednesday afternoon ahead of their match with Athletic Club on Sunday. Nolito trained having missed the last three outings of 2019 with injury. Sevilla president Jose Castro and sporting director Monchi were also at the club's training ground to support Lopetegui and his players. The squad will hold an open training session at 11:30 CET on Thursday at the Estadio Roman Sanchez Pizjuan. Away from the pitch, Monchi is looking into new signings in the January transfer window.

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Bahrain Islamic Bank (BisB), in cooperation with INJAZ Bahrain, recently organized its second ‘Innovation Camp’, a one-day workshop which was held this time around for the students of the Bahrain Institute of Banking & Finance (BIBF) at the Institute’s premises. Attended by around 90 students from BIBF, the Innovation Camp included a variety of interactive activities, which aimed to test and develop their abilities and skills in leadership, critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and effective teamwork. Facilitated by a number of BisB employees, the students were given the challenge of working in teams in order to develop a new product or service, or improve the Bank’s existing portfolio of services, through brainstorming an innovative solution for the Bank’s Corporate and Institutional division. The BisB Innovation Camp comes in line with the Bank’s corporate social responsibility platform ‘Jood’, which aims to focus on the pillars of Education and Innovation, aiming to equip future generations with leadership skills and abilities, in order to cultivate an empowered workforce. The Chief Executive Officer of BisB, Mr. Hassan Amin Jarrar, stated, “At BisB, we are extremely keen on cultivating idea-generation in youth, and involving them in an innovative brainstorming process. We are honoured to collaborate with both INJAZ and BIBF to launch the BisB Innovation Camp, which encourages students – future employees of the financial sector – to think outside the box, and to develop for the Kingdom’s banks and institutions realistic solutions that can be applied right off the bat. This camp truly provides these students with a golden opportunity to enrich their professional competencies and develop critical skills under the expert guidance of trainers and mentors who prepare them to enter the job market.”

Egypt’s Ministry of Public Enterprise Sector announced that the offices of Talal Abu Ghazaleh were tasked with formulating a plan to technically, financially, and administratively restructure Misr Travel in order to restore its ability to provide its services to individuals, companies, and government institutions. The ministry mentioned also that the company’s leadership changed, with talented people that had technical expertise in the tourism field, according to the harvest report 2019. The Ministry also said that it was currently evaluating the competencies of the company’s second line employees to select highly talented participants to implement the restructuring plan. The report pointed out that the ministry was about completing the establishment of an electronic platform for Egypt’s untraditional tourist destinations under the name “Touf w Shouf,” meaning (Move around and See). The purpose of “Touf W shouf” electronic platform is to promote Egypt’s untraditional tourist destination, and to encourage one-day tourism trips for Egyptians and foreign residents.

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National Library Of Jamaica Extends Poetry Competition Submissions Deadline To Jan. 3, 2020 Story Highlights Persons interested in participating in the National Library of Jamaica (NLJ) Poet Laureate of Jamaica Prizes for Poetry competition are invited to submit entries by January 3, 2020. Submissions are being accepted for any of the following: the Edward Baugh Prize for Poetry, Michael Cooke Prize for Poetry, Louise Bennett-Coverley Prize for Poetry, and the Poet Laureate of Jamaica, as also the Helen Zell/Young Writer’s Prize for Poetry. Entries will be judged by a panel from the NLJ led by Poet Laureate of Jamaica, Lorna Goodison. Persons interested in participating in the National Library of Jamaica (NLJ) Poet Laureate of Jamaica Prizes for Poetry competition are invited to submit entries by January 3, 2020. Submissions are being accepted for any of the following: the Edward Baugh Prize for Poetry, Michael Cooke Prize for Poetry, Louise Bennett-Coverley Prize for Poetry, and the Poet Laureate of Jamaica, as also the Helen Zell/Young Writer’s Prize for Poetry. Entries will be judged by a panel from the NLJ led by Poet Laureate of Jamaica, Lorna Goodison. The winners for each category, which carries a cash prize of US$1,000, will be announced during Jamaica’s World Poetry Day celebrations in March 2020. Director of Special Programmes at the NLJ and Coordinator of the Poet Laureate of Jamaica programme, Abigail Henry, told JIS News that the initial December 20 deadline was extended to facilitate participation by more persons. “We extended the deadline to give people a little extra time over the Christmas break. It is not often that we see prizes that carry such a large cash award for poetry, to foster the development of new voices of young people emerging in poetry in Jamaica. We are encouraging everybody who is eligible… and persons interested in developing their voice and a career in poetry to get their submissions in,” she said. Ms. Henry, who described the competition as an “excellent programme”, contended that “it is not just about the prizes”. “It is about being part of this network of young writers [for whom] we are putting together workshops and event activities geared towards developing their craft and poetic voices. We encourage everyone who is eligible to take advantage of this opportunity,” she added. Ms. Henry said since the competition’s inception three years ago, there has been an emergence of new voices in poetry. In a bid to further nurture these talents, she said poems that were shortlisted for prizes in the competition over the years will be published in an anthology by the administrator of the Poet Laureate of Jamaica programme, the NLJ. Copies of the publication will be distributed through the NLJ, and will be available at select bookstores. The Poet Laureate of Jamaica Prizes for Poetry competition is a collaborative initiative of the NLJ, through the office of the Poet Laureate of Jamaica, and the United States-based University of Michigan Helen Zell Writers’ Program. It aims to recognise talented young Jamaicans who are interested in pursuing a career in poetry. Persons may contact the NLJ for submission criteria and other information at (876) 967-1526 or (876) 967-2516 or visit the website at www.nlj.gov.jm.

Bamboo is being heralded as the perfect alternative to plastic and styrofoam products as Jamaica moves into a new phase on bans against materials that are largely considered to be harmful to the environment. “We are encouraging Jamaicans to grow bamboo because we help, as a small island nation, by doing that to clean up the environment,” said Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ) Director of Special Projects Gladstone Rose in making his pitch for more Jamaicans to consider planting bamboo. “Now, cutting trees is unfriendly because a tree takes 30-40 years to grow. The bamboo matures in three years and so we say to Jamaicans, don’t cut our trees, use bamboo,” Rose added, seeking to also woo manufacturers. Rose said the bamboo plant can make a viable eco-friendly alternative to styrofoam and plastic products. “Bamboo makes a biodegradable plate and packaging and this is being internationally marketed,” he said, adding that Jamaica is a member state of the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR). “Because we are a member of the international network, right now, two companies are seeking to invest in Jamaica,” he said. Caribbean Bamboo Pulp and Paper and Eco Pulp and Paper will be making the pulp, which other companies will purchase and convert to diapers and toilet paper. “The alternatives have been damaging for the environment, so we are hoping that with the biodegradable nature of bamboo, we are then helping to mitigate climate change,” he said. BAMBOO CHARCOAL A lesser-known wonder of the bamboo plant, which is estimated to cover 65,000 hectares locally, lies in its potential to be a viable substitute for traditional charcoal, which is being used by roughly 34,000 local households. “We have helped develop that product internationally. Jamaica was the first country to export bamboo charcoal to the United States and certified by the United States Development of Agriculture, and I believe we are still the only ones that export organic bamboo charcoal,” he said. While admitting that Jamaicans have not yet been educated on the potential of the more environmentally friendly bamboo charcoal, Rose said that the cost difference is not significant. Bamboo charcoal costs a little more but “the real cost to the environment means that the tree charcoal is really more expensive because you’re cutting down trees that take long to grow”. Director of the Science and Technology Division, Dwight Ramdon, told Gleaner editors and reporters that bamboo can grow virtually anywhere. “It is one of the most durable plants and some farmers have difficulty getting rid of them,” Ramdon said. Rose agreed that bamboo can become invasive, but internationally, where bamboo is being managed, it only grows where farmers want it to grow. “Our yam farmers use the bamboo as yam sticks. They do it all over the country, and so it takes on this invasive characteristic because they are not managing for bamboo, they’re managing their yam, and then they abandon acre after acre, so it appears to take over,” Rose explained. FURNITURE, SOUVENIRS Rose explained that bamboo souvenirs made without proper preservation techniques often give the plant a bad name. “The bamboo has a powder post beetle that can attack the bamboo after you cut it, so if you don’t get the knowledge that we have at the Bureau on how to preserve your bamboo, and you just go and use it and knock it together to make a little hut or a bench, in four months, it can go to dust,” Rose said. He said that if properly treated, bamboo furniture can have a lifespan similar to wood and some of these techniques are shared by the BSJ’s Bamboo Enterprise Development Programme in its monthly sessions to train people to use bamboo to produce furniture and other products. Angelica Dempster, a 22-year-old university student, began making bamboo straws shortly after plastic straws, so-called ‘scandal’ bags and the importation of styrofoam containers were banned on January 1 this year. “The Bureau of Standards helped me in perfecting my product. They ensure that they are clean, there’s no bacteria, and they test them [for cold and heat endurance],” she said. In addition to bamboo straws, The Likkle Bamboo Hut produces coconut bowls, bamboo cups, and bamboo utensils. “I am trying to make bamboo wine using bamboo shoots and I am going to use the bamboo leaves for the beer. I exported 1,000 straws to Spain and I got a good feedback from them. Hotels and little cafés in Spain have been contacting me for straws,” Dempster said. As it relates to the local take-up, Dempster has contracts with a few companies in Kingston and Negril and she also does individual orders. judana.murphy@gleanerjm.com

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Arsenal Mikel Arteta would like an active window and knows Arsenal have yawning deficiencies in the centre-back and midfield positions. RB Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano and Atlético Madrid’s Thomas Lemar would be fine additions but would cost, in total, around £100m and Arsenal simply do not have that money. A January of wheeling and dealing looks more likely: Granit Xhaka’s departure would, if given the green light, free up around £25m but big-money additions might be contingent on letting Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leave – a sacrifice that may not be worth it. Nick Ames Aston Villa After spending over £100m in the summer, Villa can ill afford to go down. But they realise they will probably have to spend again if they are to blast their way out of relegation trouble. A new striker to relieve the pressure on Wesley would be welcome, and there is also a desire to improve the supply to the forward line, especially with John McGinn out for three months with injury. The Werder Bremen winger Milot Rashica is among the targets. Paul Doyle Bournemouth Eddie Howe has repeatedly cited the difficulty of getting value for money in the winter window but a sizeable injury list may force his hand. The priority will be keeping hold of Nathan Aké, though they are powerless to stop him joining Chelsea should his former club activate a £40m buyback clause this month. Ryan Fraser is out of contract in June but the club have no desire to cash in on the winger this window, while Howe could recall the striker Sam Surridge from Swansea. Ben Fisher Facebook Twitter Pinterest Bournemouth’s Nathan Aké could be heading back to Chelsea if his former club choose to activate the £40m buyback clause in his contract. Photograph: Jed Leicester/BPI/Shutterstock Brighton A lack of cutting edge in attack has cost Brighton dearly in recent weeks and Graham Potter is likely to be in the market for another striker to take the strain off Neal Maupay and the veteran Glenn Murray, who has made only three Premier League starts this campaign. They have also been linked with rising Norwegian star Emil Bohinen - the son of former Nottingham Forest midfielder Lars - and Bordeaux right-back Enock Kwateng but do not expect wholesale changes to a squad still adapting to their new manager. Ed Aarons Burnley Have been linked with Championship players such as Josh Brownhill of Bristol City and Ollie Watkins from Brentford. Sean Dyche is always on the lookout for inexpensive upgrades and has done well in the past few seasons, though Danny Drinkwater could return to Chelsea in January if Burnley choose not to extend his loan deal. Burnley need to keep Dwight McNeil at the club a little longer, and to think about back up for Ashley Barnes now that Dyche has begun to ration his starts. Paul Wilson Transfer window January 2020 – every deal from Europe's top five leagues Read more Chelsea Frank Lampard has at least £150m to spend now the club’s transfer ban has been lifted and he wants to improve his attacking options. Targets include Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho, Villarreal winger Samuel Chukwueze, CSKA Moscow forward Fyodor Chalov, Timo Werner of RB Leipzig, Lyon’s Moussa Dembélé and Wilfried Zaha, while Chelsea could also make a £40m move for the Bournemouth defender Nathan Aké. Olivier Giroud will be allowed to leave. Jacob Steinberg Crystal Palace Roy Hodgson’s pleas for reinforcements to his battle-weary squad look likely to fall on deaf ears with Crystal Palace’s American owners reluctant to increase a wage bill which is in the Premier League’s top 10. Yet given the shortage in attacking options and a number of injuries in defence, new arrivals are surely needed if Palace are to maintain their upward trajectory. The prospective departure of Wilfried Zaha would free up some funds although it remains to be seen whether Chelsea or any other suitors for the Ivorian will meet the asking price of £80m. EA Facebook Twitter Pinterest Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha has attracted a lot of suitors but his £80m asking price remains a deterrent. Photograph: Jed Leicester/BPI/Shutterstock Everton With an expensive new manager believed to have been assured of financial backing Everton will be expected to do brisk business as soon as the window opens in January, though Carlo Ancelotti has promised to concentrate on the Merseyside derby in the FA Cup first, and may need to move out Cenk Tosun and Oumar Niasse to make room for incoming players. A goalscorer and a creative midfielder will be high on the wish list. PW Leicester The priority is a surefire winger or two ready to go straight into the team while the likes of Harvey Barnes and Demarai Gray develop consistency. The club has plenty to spend if necessary, including the £80m they got last summer for Harry Maguire. None of their top players will be sold, while the squad may be pruned, with fringe players such as Nampalys Mendy possible departures. PD Liverpool Quite clearly do not need anyone this January, unless Jürgen Klopp has concerns about outbreak of illness or injury, particularly as Takumi Minamino has already been signed from RB Salzburg. Just fitting the Japanese attacking midfielder into an already successful team will be tricky enough, and Klopp has said there is no need to rush because the present players are performing so well. While Kylian Mbappé might get straight into the Liverpool side, almost everyone else would have to wait. PW Facebook Twitter Pinterest Takumi Minamino has a chat with Jürgen Klopp on his first day at Liverpool’s training ground. Photograph: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images Manchester City Pep Guardiola has insisted that no one will be signed despite how Aymeric Laporte’s injury and the lack of any quality replacement for the centre-back have hurt the title defence. The Frenchman is expected back for the Champions League which may now be the main focus. As this is the transfer market, though, never say never regarding a U-turn in policy and Guardiola would have up to £50m should this occur. Jamie Jackson Manchester United Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s budget is around £150m but only for players on his summer list who become available. This includes Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho, Leicester’s James Maddison, Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen or West Ham’s Declan Rice. The manager, though, should prioritise Rice, Eriksen, Maddison or another midfielder as this is his weakest department. No one should leave unless, say, Nemanja Matic demands a move and the offer is good. JJ Premier League fans’ January transfer window wish lists Read more Newcastle If mid-table security is to be cemented, Steve Bruce could do – rather desperately – with a reliable striker, thereby reducing his dependence on defenders for goalscoring. Bruce needs to sell to buy and hopes to offload midfielders Jack Colback and Henri Saivet, who together earn almost £100,000 a week and are not in the 25-man first-team squad. Dwight Gayle could be sold to a Championship club while Yoshinori Muto and Ki Sung-yueng could also be offloaded. Hull’s Jarrod Bowen is Bruce’s main target. Louise Taylor Facebook Twitter Pinterest Hull City’s Jarrod Bowen (right) is a priority target for Steve Bruce at Newcastle. Photograph: Greig Cowie/BPI/Shutterstock Norwich Norwich’s injury crisis has ended but one glaring hole remains; someone to take the load off Teemu Pukki up front. That this is the most expensive position to reinforce, and Norwich insist they cannot spend £10m on a player, means even links to young talents such as Willem II’s Mike Trésor Ndayishimiye will likely come to nothing. The upside is that there is no pressure to sell either, despite interest in Max Aarons and Ben Godfrey. Paul MacInnes Sheffield United Chris Wilder is well stocked for forwards but has tended to rely on the same players every week in other positions. He would welcome more strength in depth, especially in midfield and defence. He has a longstanding interest in the Blackburn Rovers centre-back Darragh Lenihan, while Nottingham Forest’s Joe Worrall is also on the radar. Sheffield United’s abundance of forwards, meanwhile, has restricted the playing time of Billy Sharp, in whom clubs including Celtic have expressed an interest. PD Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Blackburn Rovers centre-back Darragh Lenihan has attracted the attention of Chris Wilder at Sheffield United. Photograph: Kevin Barnes/CameraSport via Getty Images Southampton Still financially hamstrung from previous windows, Southampton are unlikely to spend big but Ralph Hasenhüttl is keen to strengthen at full-back to ease the workload on Cédric Soares and Ryan Bertrand. Soares is out of contract in the summer and happy to run his contract down, while Bertrand could also depart at the end of the season. Hasenhüttl is desperate to spruce up his defence with a couple of new faces capable of making an immediate impact. BF Tottenham José Mourinho has said on several occasions that he understands the financial constraints at Spurs; that he is happy to work with the existing squad. Does anybody truly believe His Humbleness? In an ideal world, Mourinho would like new full-backs, maybe a centre-back and a back-up striker. Whether the club can sell Christian Eriksen will hold the key to the budget. Mourinho’s first window with Daniel Levy will be an experience. David Hytner Watford Recent results and performances have reinforced the belief that Watford already have the players they need to get out of their current predicament, though the defence, weakened by injuries, could be reinforced. João Pedro, whose transfer was agreed last year, has arrived from Fluminense but at 18 cannot be expected to have an instant impact. Major outgoings are unlikely though some seldom-used squad members, particularly goalkeepers and midfielders, will leave on loan. Simon Burnton Facebook Twitter Pinterest João Pedro has arrived at Watford but at only 18 it could be asking a lot for him to turn their season around. Photograph: Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP via Getty Images West Ham David Moyes wants to spend after being tasked with saving West Ham from relegation again. A central midfielder has to be a priority and Moyes likes Stoke’s Joe Allen. But there are other holes to fill. West Ham are trying to sign the Middlesbrough goalkeeper Darren Randolph and want more cover up front. JS Wolves Rising interest in Adama Traoré is likely to be rebuffed. Nuno Espírito Santo hopes to make a couple of additions to a squad that has coped admirably with its huge workload so far. The injury to Willy Boly means a new centre-back is high on the wish list, and Nuno would also like more options in midfield. A couple of Lille players have been eyed up – defender Gabriel Magalhães and midfielder Boubakary Soumaré - while Milan’s Franck Kessié and QPR’s versatile Ryan Manning have also attracted interest. PD

The New Year kicks off with a full round of fixtures in the Premier League as Liverpool look to continue what looks to be an unstoppable march towards their first title in 30 years, while everyone else looks to pick up the scraps and perhaps set their sights on different targets. Liverpool entertain Sheffield United, who saw a run of 18 away games without defeat finally come to an end when they lost to Manchester City on Saturday. Nevertheless Jurgen Klopp’s men would be well advised to not be overconfident against a side that matched City in the first half and only succumbed to second half goals from Kun Aguero and Kevin de Bruyne. Pep Guardiola’s side play one of the game of the day as they entertain an Everton that looks to be born again since the departure of Marco Silva and the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti as first team coach. City kick off 14 points behind Liverpool, who have played one game less, and Guardiola will maybe be better fixing his sights on his side’s Champions League campaign, where they face Real Madrid in the next round. The next two months have to see him resolve his City’s defensive weaknesses and hope that Aymeric Laporte completes his recovery from knee surgery to be fit to face Madrid. Second placed Leicester City travel to Newcastle on the back of their weekend triumph against West Ham United, which saw Manuel Pellegrini replaced by David Moyes in the “Hammers” hot-seat. Moyes will make his return to West Ham with a vital home match against Bournemouth, who are one point and one place above them following a run of seven defeats from their last nine games. Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta is having a tough baptism at the club and his side’s home game against Manchester United is another standout fixture to start 2020. Arsenal go into the game on the back of their 2-1 capitulation at home to Chelsea, which again highlighted the team’s mental frailty, while United look to be gaining confidence and have moved up to fifth after Christmas wins over Newcastle and Burnley. Chelsea travel to Brighton for what should be a close game, while Tottenham visit Southampton after a 2-2 draw against Norwich three days ago highlighted that Jose Mourinho’s side need to tighten up at the back if they want to compete for a top-four finish. Norwich entertain Crystal Palace looking for their first win since November 23rd and knowing they too have to stop leaking goals if they want to stay up. Nigel Pearson may have a reputation for being a somewhat dour character but he has won almost as many points from his first three games in charge (7) as his two predecessors did (9) in the previous 17 and suddenly confidence is soaring at Vicarage Road. A win at home to Wolves wouldn’t be enough to lift Watford out of the relegation zone, but it would increase their hopes of survival, while increasing the pressure on Aston Villa, who face a difficult trip to play Burnley at Turf Moor.

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The tectonic plates opened by Donald Trump’s presidency continue to clang, New York City’s ethnic tensions have resurfaced, and sectarian differences are hardening. The divide among evangelicals unleashed by the impeachment drive has been mirrored among Jewish Americans, and a spate of attacks during Hanukah has again brought our national schism to the fore. The only way to fight antisemitism is solidarity and compassion – not division | Joshua Leifer Read more New York’s Orthodox Jewish community is feeling angry, exposed, and sees no end in sight. For them, it’s looking like the Crown Heights riots all over again. In the aftermath of Saturday night’s stabbing attack, few were impressed by Mayor Bill de Blasio’s bromides. As framed by Clyde Haberman, the New York Times veteran, antisemitism in the US is not simply a “blip” or a bug. Rather, as our politics become ever more factionalized and fractured, antisemitism has become an increasingly dark but unmovable spot. These days, it’s not just Europe. The Trump presidency has also magnified the fault lines that run through America’s Jewish communities. In 2016, Jewish Americans gave more than 70 percent of their vote to Hillary Clinton and less than a quarter to Donald Trump. But not everywhere. Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods in New York and New Jersey were islands of red in seas of blue. In Monsey, a predominately Orthodox enclave in New York’s Rockland county and the site of Saturday night’s attack, Trump bested Clinton by almost 50 points. Indeed, in one district Trump garnered over 90% of all votes cast. Located just minutes from the Hudson River and 30 miles from New York City, Monsey may as well have been part of the Rust Belt or the Deep South, at least in terms of voting patterns. Cultural conservativism, resentment of liberal elites, and devotion to Israel helped drive the vote. The Jew-baiting that characterized Trump’s campaign mattered little. The things that offended the denizens of the Upper West Side and Scarsdale were either secondary or irrelevant in Monsey. In case anyone forgot, during the 2016 presidential race Trump tweeted an image of the star of David, Hillary Clinton and piles of money. After the initial stir, the six-pointed star was replaced by Trump with a circle. Fast forward. Rudy Giuliani’s recent proclamation that he is more Jewish than George Soros was not simply the ramblings of someone who had one Bloody Mary too many. In 2018 Kevin McCarthy, then the House majority leader, tweeted, then deleted: “We cannot allow Soros, Steyer, and Bloomberg to BUY this election! Get out and vote Republican November 6th. #MAGA”. Despite his high level of support within Monsey, the president was slow to condemn the attack. Sixteen hours passed between the crime and Trump’s tweet, and the delay may have had something to do with local Republicans and Trump’s own base. The Rockland County Republican Party had already come in for heat for airing an antisemitic campaign ad in the summer of 2019, and white supremacy is a part of what drives some of Trump’s supporters to the polls. A post-Charlottesville Washington Post/ABC Poll reported that among strong Trump supporters nearly 2 in 10 found white supremacist or neo-Nazi views acceptable to some degree, and another 13% were indifferent. Hanukah is now at an end, and the recent bout of violence has, I pray, hit a lull. The question remains for how long. As for the US, expect the pot to keep on boiling into 2020.

Roseanne Barr defended President Trump’s relationship to the Jewish community while warning that Jews need to begin arming themselves for self-defense. The actress and comedian spoke about whether Jews should consider buying guns as she hailed the president’s actions and words in the wake of recent anti-Semitism, during a conversation with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. “He’s an advocate for Jewish American citizens … and he’s been a friend to Jewish people in this country and all around the world — and to Christians, too,” she said of Trump during an interview on the “Rabbi Shmuley Podcast” which aired Tuesday. She explained how the president is an advocate for all in America, even those who hate him and she predicted a “light” would go on soon for those who have refused to see the positive impact his administration has had on the economy and in other areas. “Thank God for the United States of America,” Barr said at one point, commending the U.S. for its protective policies while she called out divisive Democrats as one of the reasons for the rise in anti-Semitism in the U.S. ”People are being elected to sit in the hallowed halls of the House of Representatives and spouting Nazi doctrine,” she said, but clarified that it is not only Jews who are under attack but all “people at prayer,” admitting she fears if someone other than Trump is elected in 2020. In an Executive Order signed earlier this month, Trump took aim at anti-Semitism and targeted college campuses by interpreting Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act to include protection, with the Department of Education empowered to withhold federal funding from any college or educational program found to be in violation. Jews need to “fight force with force. That’s the only way you do it,” she said, warning that eventually armed guards would be needed at all places of worship, not just for Jews. “What starts with the Jews never ends with the Jews,” she added, saying that anti-Semitism is a tool used to divide Americans. “Yeah, absolutely, like they are in Israel,” she responded to a question on whether Jews should purchase firearms for self-defense. “You have to defend your community,” she said, adding “And non-Jews, too.” The most recent hate crimes against Jews – with a Hanukkah stabbing attack at a rabbi’s home in Monsey and an earlier violent attack on a kosher market in New Jersey – have prompted some Jews in New York’s Rockland County to begin open carrying rifles to protect themselves. “It’s time to wake up and protect yourself. Protect your people, your community, your family. You’re under siege — it’s not B.S.,” Barr told the rabbi, urging him to get a gun. “Of course! And get trained.” “Make sure that the people representing you agree with you that…we have the right to protect ourselves,” she said.

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have rang in the New Year by hitting a staggering 10 million Instagram followers. Yet despite the success of Meghan Markle, 38, and Prince Harry's, 35, social media account - it's still the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, both 37, who boast the most followers. Kate Middleton and Prince William's Kensington Royal account has 10.6 million fans, while their in-laws have reached 10 million overnight. The Queen's profile, The Royal Family, has garnered a respectable 7.1million followers, but Clarence House - run on behalf of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall - lags behind with just 939,000. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (pictured in October) have rang in the New Year by gaining a staggering 10million Instagram followers Yet despite the success of Meghan and Prince Harry's social media account - it's still the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (pictured with their children) that boast the most followers Meghan, 37, and Prince Harry, 35, reached 10 million overnight on their social media account Kate and Prince William's Kensington Royal account, seen above, has 10.6 million followers The Duke and Duchess' Sussex Royal account broke a Guinness World Record when launching on April 2 last year. It became the fastest Instagram profile to reach one million followers in less than six hours. This was later beaten by Friends star Jennifer Aniston who gained a million followers in five hours and 45 minutes, upon joining the site in October. The Queen's profile, The Royal Family, has garnered a respectable 7.1million followers. Pictured: Her Majesty, 93, leaving church in Sandringham on Sunday Clarence House - run on behalf of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall (pictured in December) - lags behind with just 939,000 It perhaps comes as no surprise to discover that the top three most liked pictures on the account are dominated by baby Archie. The most popular among royal enthusiasts proved to be a black and white photo of Harry, Meghan and Archie greeting the Queen, Prince Philip, and the duchess' mother Doria Ragland. With 3million likes, it was closely followed by the couple's post announcing the birth of their son a few days before - which received 2.9million likes. The most popular SussexRoyal post among royal enthusiasts proved to be a photo of Harry, Meghan and Archie greeting the Queen, Prince Philip, and the duchess' mother Doria Ragland A photograph, seen above, of the duke and duchess with their little one in the Great Hall at Windsor Castle took third place A photograph of the duke and duchess with their little one in the Great Hall at Windsor Castle took third place. Gaining 2.8million likes, it was the family's first photo call, two days after Archie's birth on May 6. Among the SussexRoyal followers are celebrities David Beckham and Gwyneth Paltrow, as well as Princess Eugenie. Ex-Suits star Meghan used to have her own personal Twitter and Instagram accounts, as well as a lifestyle website thetig.com, but closed them down ahead of her wedding to Harry in 2018.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are promoting the work of a journalist-run Instagram account that focuses on positive news stories globally as part of their work into the New Year. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will 'shine a spotlight' on the @goodnews_movement as they choose a different Instagram account each month to remind followers of 'all the good that is happening in the world.' It comes just one day after Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, shared an unseen picture of baby Archie in a highlight reel of their top moments of 2019. Their latest post on their official lnstagram account read: 'Happy New Year! For 2020 we will be continuing our tradition of highlighting accounts that inspire, and that remind us of all the good that is happening in the world. Harry and Meghan with their baby son Archie meeting Archbishop Desmond Tutu during their trip to South Africa The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will 'shine a spotlight' on the @goodnews_movement as they choose a different Instagram account each month to remind followers of 'all the good that is happening in the world.' They made the announcement on their Instagram account 'However, this time we will be focusing on just one account each month. For January, we would like to shine a spotlight on @goodnews_movement. 'This journalist run-page covers and celebrates acts of kindness and good news in our global community. We hope it brings you joy!' Who is the Instagram account's founder Michelle Figueroa? Michelle Figueroa is Boston correspondent for CNN's Spanish-speaking news service, CNNEE. She also contributes to a number of other outlets, including CNN, AJ+, Discovery, PBS and the New York Post. Figueroa speaks three languages, English, Spanish and Portuguese, and lists her skills as 'finding unique and sometimes untold stories'. Advertisement The goodnews_movement, which has 189,000 followers, describes itself as a journalist-run page for 'good news only' which celebrates community heroes and acts of kindness across the globe. The page was founded by Michelle Figueroa, the Boston correspondent for CNN's Spanish-speaking news service. Recent stories that it covers include plans by Greyhound to give homeless, young people free tickets to return home or to a safe place, as well as other stories about donations given to refuge shelters over the Christmas period. The Duke and Duchess rang in the New Year by hitting a staggering 10 million followers. Their Royal account broke a Guinness World Record when launching on April 2 last year. It became the fastest Instagram profile to reach one million followers in less than six hours. This was later beaten by Friends star Jennifer Aniston who gained a million followers in five hours and 45 minutes, upon joining the site in October. And the most recent picture of Harry, standing by a lake in what is thought to be their Canadian hideaway on Vancouver Island, as he smiles at a beaming Archie, has been viewed over 3.4 million times since it was posted on New Years Eve. Sharing the post, which racked up over 260,000 likes in half an hour, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex wrote: '2019 in review. Wishing you all a very Happy New Year and thanking you for your continued support! Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have shared an unseen picture of baby Archie in a highlight reel of their top moments of 2019. The first picture shows Prince Harry standing by a lake in an unknown location, which could be Canada, as he smiles at a beaming Archie Baby Archie was front and centre in the duke and duchess' Christmas card this year, pictured The goodnews_movement, which has 189,000 followers, describes itself as a journalist-run page for 'good news only' which celebrates community heroes and acts of kindness 'We've loved meeting so many of you from around the world and can't wait to meet many more of you next year. We hope 2020 brings each of you health and continued happiness. - The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.' They added: 'Special thanks to Chris Martin and Coldplay for allowing us to use one of their songs'. Elsewhere a throwback to the 8th May shows Meghan and Harry introducing little Archie to the world at Windsor Palace. The video offers some retrospective of the Sussexes' busy year. A picture shows the Duchess of Sussex during her pregnancy at the National Theater, on January 30, 2019. The Instagram page founded by Michelle Figueroa, the Boston correspondent for CNN's Spanish-speaking news service In another snap, Harry proudly stands next to Sir David Attenborough, his brother William, 37 and Prince Charles, 71, at a screening at the Natural History Museum in London for the world premiere of his new Netflix series 'Our Planet'. The video fondly looks back on several of Harry and Meghan's joint engagements as expecting parents, like their Morocco visit in February, where they met with local children. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spent their first Christmas with baby Archie in a $14.1 million waterfront mansion owned by a mystery multi-millionaire, DailyMail.com revealed last week. The royal family and the Duchess of Sussex's mother Doria Ragland enjoyed time in one of the most idyllic spots on Vancouver Island. Their presence in Canada had been confirmed before Christmas by prime minster Justin Trudeau. The eight-bedroom gated estate on Vancouver Island, Canada, boasts two beaches and views across the peninsula from the four acre property. Harry and Meghan's presence in North Saanich was first revealed by local restaurateur Pierre Koffel and his wife Bev, who reportedly turned away the royal couple from their high-end restaurant because of their intense security requirements. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are promoting the work of a journalist-run Instagram account that focuses on positive news stories globally as part of their work into the New Year Koffel says he was merely visited by the royals' security team and didn't decline their reservations – but has still faced a backlash with 'hundreds' of emails and 'dozens' of phone calls from Harry and Meghan fans berating him for denying their favorite royals their Christmas dinner. The chef and co-owner of the Deep Cove Chalet in North Saanich told DailyMail.com that he and his wife were tricked into revealing the royals' secret getaway, and have now received 'hundreds of emails, tens of phonecalls' accusing he and his wife of being 'terrible people'. The restaurateur's wife, Bev, told the Vancouver Sun on Christmas Eve that they had been visited by Harry and Meghan's security detail, casing their restaurant for a potential dinner spot for the couple. The royals have had an action-packed year, with the high point being the arrival of baby Archie on May 6 weighing 7lb 3oz. Two days later baby Archie was introduced to the world at a photocall in the Castle's St George's Hall, with Meghan declaring: 'It's magic, it's pretty amazing. I have the two best guys in the world so I'm really happy.' Keen to give him a normal life, Harry and Meghan chose not to use the courtesy title Earl Dumbarton or style him Lord Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, making a personal decision he should be a plain Master. Just months before Archie's arrival, Harry and Meghan undertook an official royal tour of Morocco in February. Following his birth in the spring, the couple kept a relatively low profile over the summer, engaging in various charity visits. Inside Archie's first Christmas: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle treated their 'confident, social butterfly' son to 'books, building blocks and a ball pit', source claims By Jessica Green for MailOnline The Duke and Duchess of Sussex treated their son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor to 'books, building blocks and a ball pit' for Christmas, according to a royal source. Meghan Markle, 38, and Prince Harry, 35, reportedly 'couldn't help' but spoil the seven-month-old for his first festive big day. Speaking to Us Weekly, the source also gave an update on the little one's budding personality, revealing Archie looks set to be a 'confident social butterfly'. The Sussexes are currently enjoying their festive break in Canada, alongside Meghan's mother Doria Ragland. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (pictured in October with their son) treated Archie Mountbatten-Windsor to 'books, building blocks and a ball pit' for Christmas, a source claims Revealing details of the family's first Christmas, the insider claimed: 'Archie is Meghan and Harry’s world, and they can’t help [it]. 'For Christmas, they bought him books, building blocks, a baby ball pit. It’s not all about extravagant gifts for them.' They added: 'You can tell Archie’s going to be a confident social butterfly. He loves being entertained and interacting with people. 'Some children get shy or nervous around new people, but not Archie. He’ll go to anyone without kicking up a fuss!' Harry and Meghan spent their first Christmas with baby Archie in a $14.1 million waterfront mansion owned by a mystery multi-millionaire, DailyMail.com revealed last week. The royal family and the Duchess of Sussex's mother Doria Ragland enjoyed time in one of the most idyllic spots on Vancouver Island. Their presence in Canada had been confirmed before Christmas by prime minster Justin Trudeau. The royals have had an action-packed year, with the high point being the arrival of baby Archie on May 6 weighing 7lb 3oz. Pictured: The family in South Africa in October this year The eight-bedroom gated estate on Vancouver Island, Canada, boasts two beaches and views across the peninsula from the four acre property. Harry and Meghan's presence in North Saanich was first revealed by local restaurateur Pierre Koffel and his wife Bev, who reportedly turned away the royal couple from their high-end restaurant because of their intense security requirements. Koffel says he was merely visited by the royals' security team and didn't decline their reservations – but has still faced a backlash with 'hundreds' of emails and 'dozens' of phone calls from Harry and Meghan fans berating him for denying their favorite royals their Christmas dinner. The chef and co-owner of the Deep Cove Chalet in North Saanich told DailyMail.com that he and his wife were tricked into revealing the royals' secret getaway, and have now received 'hundreds of emails, tens of phonecalls' accusing he and his wife of being 'terrible people'. The restaurateur's wife, Bev, told the Vancouver Sun on Christmas Eve that they had been visited by Harry and Meghan's security detail, casing their restaurant for a potential dinner spot for the couple. The royals have had an action-packed year, with the high point being the arrival of baby Archie on May 6 weighing 7lb 3oz. Two days later baby Archie was introduced to the world at a photocall in the Castle's St George's Hall, with Meghan declaring: 'It's magic, it's pretty amazing. I have the two best guys in the world so I'm really happy.' Keen to give him a normal life, Harry and Meghan chose not to use the courtesy title Earl Dumbarton or style him Lord Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, making a personal decision he should be a plain Master.

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A former RAF pilot who helped clean up the Lockerbie attack - the UK's deadliest terror incident - has finally opened up about his demons. Ron Graham was on Christmas leave on December 21, 1988, when commercial flight Pan Am Flight 103, from London to New York, was blown up by a bomb - killing 270 people. The terrorist incident resulted in the scattering of human remains over a wide part of southern Scotland - and Mr Graham was one of the people involved in the clean-up operation. Former RAF helicopter pilot Ron Graham, 67, was part of the operation to recover bodies from the Lockerbie terrorist attack in December 1988 Mr Graham said he was on leave when he was ordered to return to work and assist in the clean up, which has left him suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder The bombing was the UK's worst single terrorist attack claiming the lives of 270 people In the 31 years since the incident, Mr Graham, now 67, originally from Glasgow, Scotland, has battled PTSD, alcoholism, panic attacks, two mini strokes, and has been in rehab three times. And around a year ago - as the country marked the 30th anniversary of the Lockerbie attack - Mr Graham found himself homeless, after his fourth marriage came to an end. Now living in supported housing in Cornwall, Mr Graham is finally able to open up about his experiences for the first time - and calls Lockerbie a defining point in his life. He said: 'It's only in the past 12 months where I've felt comfortable talking about it. By talking about it, it lessens the impact. 'I've come a long way in a short time. I can actually think straight, and I don't have the flashbacks and panic attacks as much. 'Sometimes you feel bitter that things didn't go your way and you've lost things. I've accepted where I'm at but I'm still a work in progress.' Recalling the day of the UK's deadliest terror attack, Mr Graham said: 'I was on leave, because it was just before Christmas. 'I got asked, because if you're in the air force and connected with aircraft you can recognise certain parts of the structure, and that's what they were looking for. 'They cleared as much as they could and then the military came in. The local population were involved as well, the CIA were there, and it was quite a circus. 'There were 270 bodies to clean up.' Mr Graham carried on serving in the military for a further 13 years, but tried to block out the memories of what he had seen strewn across the Scottish countryside Mr Graham carried on serving in the military for a further 13 years, but tried to block out the memories of what he had seen. 'As the years rolled by it came back to the forefront,' he said. 'I started having nightmares and panic attacks and that was a slow build up until the point I couldn't function, and that's when I came out of the forces in 2001.' Later, as part of his daily commute to work at IBM, Ron found himself driving past the prison where Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the only person ever convicted in relation to the bombing, was incarcerated. He recalled: 'He got banged up in prison at HMS Greenock and I was working a mile and a half up the road, so I passed that prison every day and that b****** was in there. 'I did that every day for three years and that affected me a bit, knowing that he was in there.' Mr Graham first became an alcoholic when he joined the forces way back in 1985, and increasingly dealt with his problems by drinking. Mr Graham said he has been married four times over the past 20 years and entered rehab on three occasions. The collapse of his most recent marriage left him homeless 'You go into the forces and that's the culture, that's how you deal with it.. Essentially you finish your days' work and then it's straight to the mess,' he said. 'It was so accessible and cheap. And you can have a good night for less than a tenner. Most of the guys in the forces were the same. It was drink 'til the last man standing.' When he came out of the forces in 2001, Mr Graham blamed the military for leaving him in a vulnerable position. 'For ten years I was blaming them,' he said. 'But somebody sat me down and said, 'did they put the drink down your neck? You did it to yourself'. I reevaluated and said, I've probably done it to myself. 'We all have our own ways of dealing with things. Some of us are way off the mark. I was destroying my liver and torturing myself that I should have done more.' Over the past 20 years Mr Graham has been married four times, and entered rehab on three occasions. Mr Graham said he tried to deal with the trauma of what he witnessed at Lockerbie with alcohol A year ago he found himself homeless and decided to drive to Cornwall, although he had little money and nowhere to go. Mr Graham chose Cornwall because he has fond memories of holidaying in the county with his family as a child. He said: 'I was in Oxfordshire married with a family and had a house. But just after Christmas last year, everything went tits up and I found myself homeless. 'I just packed my car and just drove, and ended up here. 'When I was a kid my parents used to bring me down here with my brother and sister, and the memories of that, and I thought why not. 'I always remember that road as you're going to Penzance, the view, it just hits you. I thought that's it, I'm staying.' The military were brought in to assist with the clean up operation because of the size of the disaster area, with debris spread over several miles After sleeping rough in Penzance, Mr Graham was picked up by the St Petrocs homeless charity, and moved to its night shelter in Truro. And in the summer, after a four-month stint living in a St Petrocs property in Falmouth, Mr Graham was offered a place at one of the charity's properties in the countryside, between Redruth and St Agnes. The beautiful farmhouse, which was a second home generously given to the charity by a supporter, currently houses five people just like Mr Graham. 'This place really resonated with me. It's such an inspirational setting, you're not in a city or terraced house or anything like that,' said Mr Graham. 'Here, you can actually think for yourself, you can breathe fresh air, you can sit in the garden with a book. 'I love it. It's just so inspirational, and you just look out of the window, and you've got the countryside, the animals out the back, you see nature as it is. 'You see the rabbits running up and down the field, and foxes and badgers. It's a whole different scene for me. Prior I had only seen it on the telly, on nature programmes.' While in rehab, Mr Graham was asked if he would like to return to Lockerbie. He initially refused the offer but now decided he will visit the monument to the 270 people who died The progress Mr Graham has made since engaging with St Petrocs and the drug and alcohol charity Addaction has been immense, he said. 'I don't miss alcohol as much as I thought I would. I still have my good days and my bad days. 'I've had two operations on a spinal operation, plus two mini strokes and tinnitus. Combined together, that's not great.' He added that he still has some way to go. 'When I was in rehab, they wanted to take me back there, to Lockerbie, to where it happened, and I point blank refused. I wouldn't entertain it at all,' he said. 'Then I was in the Priory last year, and they asked me if I'd like to go to Farnborough where the remains of the aircraft are. 'I thought, do I really want to put myself through it? I've seen it once. 'But I have decided I will go back to Lockerbie to do the monument to the 270 people that were killed, and try and find some peace,' Mr Graham added.

tech2 News Staff TikTok has released its first transparency report that details which countries have submitted requests for content removal as well as access to user data, and hey, India ranks number one in that. Not surprising given the whole TikTok ban saga we witnessed last year. The Indian government reportedly sent as many as 107 requests for user data and 11 requests to remove or restrict content or account on the platform, of which eight were categorised as emergency requests. A total of 143 accounts were specified in these requests. The report does not specify how TikTok reached a verdict for each of these requests but does mention that the platform complied with 47 percent of these requests. This transparency report compiles the data from 1 January 2019 to 30 June 2019. Followed by India, is the US, which sent out 79 requests for user data, along with six requests for content takedowns. TikTok says it complied with 86 percent of the user data requests and restricted or blocked seven accounts related to the content takedown requests. Country Legal Requests Emergency Requests Total Requests Total Accounts Specified Percentage of Requests Where Some Information Was Produced India 99 8 107 143 47% US 68 11 79 255 86% Japan 28 7 35 39 21% Germany 9 3 12 12 25% Norway 6 5 11 15 33% Table 1: Depicts the top 5 legal requests for user information received by TikTok. Interestingly, China is absent from the report. TikTok claims it did not receive a single takedown request from the Communist Party of China in the first half of 2019. But this is probably because TikTok does not operate in China. The Chinese version of the app, which runs as a separate organisation, is called Douyin. There were allegations of TikTok taking down content related to the Hong Kong protests from other countries though. Whether that would come under China requesting content takedown is open to interpretation. Country Government Requests Total Accounts Specified Accounts Removed or Restricted Content Removed or Restricted India 11 9 8 4 United States 6 7 7 1 Japan 3 5 4 1 Australia 2 2 2 0 France 2 2 2 0 Table 2: Depicts top 5 government requests received by TikTok to remove or restrict content. Per the report, TikTok also received 35 requests from Japan, 12 from Germany, 11 from Norway, eight from France, six each from the UK, Sweden and South Korea, five from Australia, three each from Israel and Italy, two from Poland and one each from Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Hungary, Iceland, Jordan, New Zealand, Pakistan, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland and Turkey. TikTok head of public policy, Eric Ebenstein also reveals how the company decides to comply with a takedown request or how it considers any such requests in the first place. He writes in a blog, “We take any request from government bodies extremely seriously, and closely review each such request we receive to determine whether, for example, the request adheres to the required legal process or the content violates local law.” TikTok adds that any “information request we receive is carefully reviewed for legal sufficiency, to determine whether, for example, the requesting entity is authorised to gather evidence in connection with a law enforcement investigation or to investigate an emergency involving imminent harm.” Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.

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Ken Reid with his wife Liz Maxine Mawhinney Roma Downey Neal McClelland We've faced challenges over past decade: Famous Northern Ireland faces high hopes for 2020 BelfastTelegraph.co.uk From health battles, expanding families and political woes, well-known Northern Ireland faces have been reflecting on their last 10 years and what lies ahead in 2020. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/weve-faced-challenges-over-past-decade-famous-northern-ireland-faces-high-hopes-for-2020-38825501.html https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/incoming/ab943/38826326.ece/AUTOCROP/h342/famous_faces_.JPG Email From health battles, expanding families and political woes, well-known Northern Ireland faces have been reflecting on their last 10 years and what lies ahead in 2020. East Belfast woman Maxine Mawhinney (62) is one of the best-known journalists of our time, and as a BBC News anchorwoman delivered the news that Princess Diana had died. The mum of two daughters and three grandchildren says she has had a "lively" decade and is looking forward to the next one. "It has been a really busy decade for me," she said. "I celebrated 40 years in journalism. I left the BBC after 21 years. "I got married. I got breast cancer and my daughter produced my three grandchildren. So personally and professionally it was quite the decade. "It's also been the start of a new career speaking, hosting and writing. I've joined the senior faculty of the Karolinska Institutet University in Stockholm where I lecture in communications. I'm writing a fiction novel. I also turned 60 but as it's the new 40, I'm not slowing down at all," she said. "Looking ahead, in 2020 I want to spend more time in Northern Ireland with my family and also bring friends there to show them all the fabulous things on offer."

With the arrival of 2020, Global News sat down with Regina’s Chief of Police to take a look in the rear-view mirror. Following 21 years as a constable with the Regina Police Service, Evan Bray was named chief in 2016. Bray became the city’s fourteenth chief after replacing Troy Hagen who retired after 38 years of service. He joined the RPS in 1995 following a six-year stint in the media, where he spent time as a radio announcer and a weatherman at Global News. READ MORE: Evan Bray named new Regina police chief We posed 10 questions to Bray, reflecting on the past decade and looking ahead to the next 10 years. The following are his answers in a Q&A format. Story continues below advertisement What were you doing in 2010? In 2010, I was a Patrol Sergeant working in the North Central District in Regina. I was also president of our police association and the Saskatchewan Federation of Police Officers. On a side note, I was still doing the Public Address announcing for the Saskatchewan Roughrider games at Taylor Field. How were you hoping things might shape up in Regina over the decade? I would say the “2010 version of Evan Bray” was hoping for a couple things. First, a solution to our police pension plan challenges. We had a serious unfunded liability and it was definitely causing pressure to our plan. As president of the association, we were focused on finding a sustainable solution. As an operational police officer, the number of domestic disputes we were attending daily was a challenge. As officers, we would respond but be left with very few options as far as providing meaningful, long term change. Were you right, or wrong? If you were wrong, how so? On the first topic, we were successful in working collaboratively with our Board of Police Commissioners to come up with a new plan. The new plan provides a solid sustainable pension for our members and reduced the financial burden on the city and taxpayers. It was a positive outcome. Story continues below advertisement On the topic of domestic disputes, there have been some solid gains. However, this is sadly still a major issue in our city. We have strong partnerships and enhanced service delivery to better respond to a family in domestic crisis. Having said that, our officers still respond to roughly 17 domestic conflict calls per day. 1:39 Why a domestic abuse survivor says issue should be discussed in classrooms Why a domestic abuse survivor says issue should be discussed in classrooms What is the single biggest change that has happened in Regina over the past 10 years that has been a game-changer? It’s tough for me to answer this question and not refer to the prevalence of drugs in our community, particularly methamphetamine. Addictions, inclusive of alcohol, still drive many issues that our front-line officers deal with on a daily basis. What has been your biggest win? Our police service enjoys a very positive relationship with our community. Ultimately, a police service is validated by the trust the community places in them to do their job. We have a very positive relationship with our community and spend focused attention to further build those positive relationships with all citizens. The diversity in Regina adds to the community strength and as a police service, we are always looking for opportunities to open the door to new friendships while strengthening existing ones. What has been your biggest disappointment or miss? What did you learn from it? This is a tough one for me to answer. I think social media has a lot of positive opportunities for our service but also provides challenges. I do feel that social media, in general terms, has opened the door for us to make quick judgements on situations without knowing the full story or context. In a policing world, knowing the complete context under which something occurs is fundamental in giving true meaning to each situation. What this has taught me is the absolute need to fill in the gaps of missing information to help paint the entire picture. If someone is fully informed and still has an issue, fair enough. I do take issue with those who make judgements based on incomplete facts. As police officers, we can never do that during our investigations, I expect the same from our community. Story continues below advertisement What was the biggest story of the last decade in Regina? I think I have to give two answers to this question. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s work has forever changed the direction of relationships in our community in a positive way. The TRC work along with the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry, has given us a foundation upon which solid, meaningful steps forward will be made based in truth and honesty with a forward focus on harmonious community building with our Indigenous neighbors. It would be tough not to say the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ Grey Cup victory at home in 2013! I do think that pulled our community and entire province together in a way that was so positive. Our police service was proud to play the role we did to ensure safety during Grey Cup Week celebrations. Grey Cup 2020 is on the horizon, let’s do it again!! 1:44 Regina hopes to see $95 million in economic activity come with 2020 Grey Cup Regina hopes to see $95 million in economic activity come with 2020 Grey Cup How has the make-up of Regina changed over the last decade? How does this drive your decisions? Regina has grown in population, geographic size and cultural diversity. Each of these areas of growth is positive and absolutely strengthens our community. As a police service, we need to be able to grow proportionately. Ensuring we can meet the needs of a growing community and handle the service demands expected of us. Further, we must continue to build meaningful relationships with our Indigenous and diverse communities. This includes internal recruiting and retention strategies that allow us to reflect the community we serve. Story continues below advertisement What’s your biggest hope for Regina for 2020-2030? In a nutshell, I hope we, as a community, are able to make some meaningful steps forward on social issues that drive many of our challenges. Education, employment, addictions and mental health are important areas where opportunity can yield healthy results in terms of community wellness. What is the biggest challenge facing Regina over the next decade? Sustaining continued growth, maintaining infrastructure and building a healthy community.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 1 Trend: "2019 will go down in history as a year of in-depth reforms. Political reforms, personnel reforms, structural reforms, economic, reforms in the political and social spheres have made us stronger. Our economy grew this year, the non-oil sector of the economy grew by more than 3 percent," said President Ilham Aliyev in his message of congratulation to the people of Azerbaijan on the occasion of the Day of Solidarity of World Azerbaijanis and the New Year. "Our foreign debt accounts for only 17 percent of the GDP. This is the ninth indicator in the world. In the following years, our foreign debt will decline further. Our foreign exchange reserves have grown by $4.5 billion this year, reaching a record high of $50 billion. Our currency reserves exceed our foreign debt more than five times. In other words, this shows the sustainability of the economic and financial opportunities of our country. Industrial production has increased, especially in the non-oil sector, by 14 percent. There is a 7 percent increase in agriculture. So the successful development of our country in all key areas is a reality," the head of state added. Follow Trend on Telegram. Only most interesting and important news

Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 1 Trend: "Problems of the IDPs are being resolved. This year, new apartments and homes were built for more than 5,000 IDP families and about 800 martyr families," said President Ilham Aliyev in his message of congratulation to the people of Azerbaijan on the occasion of the Day of Solidarity of World Azerbaijanis and the New Year. "Thousands of homes have been built for the residents of Shamakhi, Ismayilli and Aghsu districts affected by the earthquake. The absolute majority of the consequences of this major earthquake were eliminated in just 10 months. This is also a unique issue because it demonstrates our intentions and strength. The Azerbaijani government and leadership demonstrated again that they are always with citizens," the head of state emphasized. Follow Trend on Telegram. Only most interesting and important news

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President Donald Trump lies so often that it is no longer shocking when it happens. Many psychologists have pointed out that he is constantly gaslighting his base—a term that refers to a strategic attempt to get others to question their direct experience of reality. Most of his fervent supporters are convinced that Trump is the harbinger of truth when it comes to important issues like climate change—which he has said is a “hoax perpetrated by the Chinese government.” This has contributed to fake news and propaganda. Given its negative impact on society, it is important to understand why certain groups of people are more vulnerable to believing unsupported lies than others. The fields of psychology and neuroscience can offer insight. One reason Trump supporters believe him comes from a basic fact about the brain: it takes more mental effort to reject an idea as false than to accept it as true. In other words, it’s easier to believe than to not. This fact is based on a landmark study published in the journal PLOS ONE in 2009, which asked the simple question, how is the brain activated differently during a state of belief compared to a state of disbelief? To test this, participants were asked whether or not they believed in a series of statements while their brain activity was being imaged by an fMRI scanner. Some sentences were simple and fact-based (California is larger than Rhode Island), while others were more abstract and subjective (God probably does not exist). The results showed the activation of distinct but often overlapping brain areas in the belief and disbelief conditions. While these imaging results are complicated to interpret, the electrical patterns also showed something that was fairly straightforward. Overall, there was greater brain activation that persisted for longer during states of disbelief. Greater brain activation requires more cognitive resources, of which there is a limited supply. What these findings show is that the mental process of believing is simply less work for the brain, and therefore often favored. The default state of the human brain is to accept what we are told, because doubt takes effort. Belief, on the other hand, comes easily. This troubling finding makes sense from an evolutionary standpoint. If children questioned every single fact they were being taught, learning would occur at a rate so slow that it would be a hindrance. But this fact could be just as easily applied to both the political left and right. For Christian fundamentalists, being taught to suppress critical thinking begins at a very early age. It is the combination of the brain’s vulnerability to believing unsupported facts and aggressive indoctrination that create the perfect storm for gullibility. Due to the brain’s neuroplasticity, or ability to be sculpted by lived experiences, evangelicals literally become hardwired to believe far-fetched statements. This wiring begins when they are first taught to accept Biblical stories not as metaphors for living life practically and purposefully, but as objective truth. Mystical explanations for natural events train young minds to not demand evidence for beliefs. As a result, the neural pathways that promote healthy skepticism and rational thought are not properly developed. This inevitably leads to a greater susceptibility to lying and gaslighting by manipulative politicians, and greater suggestibility in general. If we want to combat the brain’s habit of taking the path of least resistance, which has destructive downstream consequences for critical thinking, as a society we must place more value on empirical evidence, and this must be reflected in how we educate our youth. Additionally, we must create an awareness of the fact that for the human mind, believing is more of a reflex than a careful and methodical action. This article was originally published at Raw Story.

President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) According to recent reports, Christian approval for President Donald Trump has waned, with predictions that Christian voters won’t come out in the 2020 election for Mr. Trump as they did in 2016. Which begs this question: Who will they vote for? With none of the Democratic presidential hopefuls courting this voting bloc (yet), a definitive answer is unknown. Some (Christians) may not vote or may vote for President Trump regardless. But this is certain: Christians believe that the Almighty works through, not around, whoever is voted into office.

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The Gujarat government will seek approval to set up five new medical colleges in Panchmahal, Gir-Somnath, Devbhumi-Dwarka, Botad and Morbi districts under a Central government scheme, deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said on Wednesday. He said the total estimated cost for setting up the colleges will be Rs 1625 crores, of which Central share will be 60 per cent. Patel said each new medical college will have 100 seats for MBBS. The total MBBS intake in Gujarat would cross 6300, after the Centre approves the five new medical colleges, he said. Speaking to reporters in Gandhinagar, Patel said that existing government-run hospitals in Panchmahal, Gir-Somnath, Devbhumi-Dwarka, Botad and Morbi districts would be attached to the new colleges after upgrading them as per Medical Council of India (MCI) norms. "The Union government has identified 75 districts in the country which do not have a medical college. Few months back, we had sent a proposal to build medical colleges in Narmada, Porbandar and Navsari districts. Now, we are sending another proposal to the Centre to approve medical colleges in these five districts," said Patel. To run a medical college, the attached hospital must have at least 300 beds as per the MCI norms. Thus, the state government will first upgrade these five hospitals as per the norms before building the medical colleges, said Patel, adding that each college would cost Rs 325 crore, taking the total expenditure to Rs 1625 crore. The proposed medical colleges are situated in Godhra town in Panchmahal, Khambhalia in Devbhumi-Dwarka, Veraval in Gir-Somnath, and in Botad and Morbi. "As per the central scheme, 60 per cent of the Rs 1625 crore cost for the five colleges will be borne by the Centre while the state government would contribute 40 per cent. We will a give the land free of cost. Each college will have the intake capacity of 100 MBBS seats," said Patel. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Ahmedabad: In a New Year gift for over nine lakh state government employees and pensioners, the Gujarat government on Wednesday hiked the dearness allowance (DA) by five percent. With this, the DA would be 17 per cent, on par with Central government employees, said Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel in Gandhinagar. The hike will come into effect retrospectively from July 1, 2019, Patel said. It will benefit 5.11 lakh employees and 4.5 lakh pensioners. "This month's salary will be paid with new DA, arrears of previous months would be paid in a phased manner," the deputy CM said. The hike would put additional burden of Rs 1,821 crore on the state exchequer every year, he said.

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Sign up to FREE daily email alerts from walesonline - daily Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email A string of new laws are coming into force in 2020. There will be a big shake up to Universal Credit payments, as well as changes to parental bereavement leave laws and agency work. The Liverpool Echo has highlighted eight important laws to look out for this year. More laws may come up as 2020 progresses. Universal Credit Universal Credit payments will see a big change in 2020. Around 2.5 million claimants in the UK will receive a boost to their payments. It's a move that was first announced last April, with the increase based on this September's inflation figures of 1.7%. Speaking to the Mirror, Work and Pensions Secretary Thérèse Coffey said: "We're clear the best way for people to improve their lives is through work but we know some people require additional support. "Our balanced fiscal approach has built a strong economy, with 3.6 million more people in work since 2010. And it's that strong economy which allows us to bolster the welfare safety net by increasing benefit payments for working-age claimants now." Helen's Law In 1988, Helen McCourt was murdered by pub landlord Ian Simms after going missing in Billinge, Merseyside on her way home. Her killer Ian Simms has never revealed the location of her remains, despite her family repeatedly appealing for him to do so. He was recommended for release in November 2019. Helen's Law means convicted murderers will have to reveal the location of their victim's body before being considered for parole. Justice Secretary David Gauke has confirmed the law will be adopted in England and Wales. Keira and Max's Law Theresa May named the new organ donation law after Keira Ball, from Devon, and Max Johnson from Newcastle, during her time as Prime Minister. Max, 11, was saved thanks to the heart of nine-year-old Keira, who died at a Bristol hospital following a car crash. Keira's organs helped save four lives after her father Joe was approached by the organ donor consent team when doctors confirmed they could not save her life. The move follows a campaign by the Mirror. The new law comes into effect in the spring of 2020, and flips the current arrangement, which means someone has to have opted in to agreeing to donate their organs before they die, or their family has to give permission. The new law will mean that consent will be presumed unless people have opted out. At the moment you have to tell your family beforehand, or get a donor card, if you want to be an organ donor should you be hit by a bus. But starting in Spring 2020, you'll have to carry a card to say you don't want to be a donor. You still have a choice if you want to be an organ donor, or not, when you die, but now doctors and the donation team will assume you. There are excluded groups from this, including children, those judged not mentally fit enough to make that informed choice, people visiting England or someone who hasn't lived here in England for more than year. Parental bereavement leave The workplace law - which is expected to come into force in early 2020 - gives bereaved parents the right to two weeks paid leave, if the child was under 18. A government statement on the law reads: "The new Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay Act will give all employed parents a day-one right to 2 weeks’ leave if they lose a child under the age of 18, or suffer a stillbirth from 24 weeks of pregnancy. Employed parents will also be able to claim pay for this period, subject to meeting eligibility criteria." Smart meter All homes and small businesses will be offered a smart meter, thanks to a government-backed programme. By the end of 2020 everyone will be offered the chance to switch. Smart metres give detailed information on your gas and electricity usage, and can give you an estimated bill. A change in the law to whiplash victims People who have suffered from whiplash or other injuries in car accidents could cost people thousands of pounds. Set to come into force in April 2020, the new laws are part of the Civil Liability Act reforms. It will see the small claims limit for injuries incurred through road traffic accidents (RTA) rise from £1,000 to £5,000. This means that victims claiming up to that amount won’t be able to reclaim the cost of legal representation which will restrict the number of people able to instruct a solicitor. According to the Law Society, this could affect around 96% of RTA claims. It doesn’t just affect those injured on the roads. Those who have suffered other types of personal injury, such as injuries at work or while out and about, will also need to go through the small claims court unless their claim has a value of more than £2,000 (rising from £1,000). There is also widespread talk the compensation for soft tissue injuries – more commonly known as ‘whiplash’ – will be significantly reduced to a few hundred pounds. Holiday pay Some workers take home a different amount of money from week to week - like those on a flexible contract. It means that when they go on holiday, their employer has to pay them holiday pay which equates to the average weekly wage they earned over the 12 weeks before going away. From April 2020 employers will have to calculate the average weekly wage for a whole year (52 weeks) instead of just 12 weeks. Rule changes for agency workers Under current laws, agency workers are entitled to the same pay and basic working conditions as direct recruits once they have completed 12 weeks’ continuous service working in the same role. But there is an exemption to the right to equal pay if agency workers are employed under a permanent contract of employment with the temporary work agency and are paid by the agency for periods between assignments. However, starting on April 6, 2020, this exemption is removed and once agency workers have completed the 12-week qualifying period, they will be entitled to equal pay to workers who are engaged directly by the employer. This means that on, or before, April 30, 2020 agency workers whose existing contracts contain this exemption must be provided with a written notification by the agency that it will no longer have effect. In addition, from April 6, 2020 all agency work-seekers must be provided with a key facts statement setting out the terms under which they will undertake the work.

Sign up to FREE daily email alerts from nechronicle - daily Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email A new year brings new laws that will impact your daily lives. The changes in legislation will affect pensions, workers rights, holiday pay and even life-saving organ donations. More new laws are likely to be added as the year progresses and with the general election having just taken place and with Brexit looming, some laws may change, reports the Manchester Evening News. Here are some of the new laws, regulations and changes which will come into force this year: State pension is rising State pension rates are undergoing their biggest change in years in 2020. They are set to rise by 3.9 per cent which will see those receiving the old state pension receive a boost of £5.05 a week to £134.25. Those who are receiving the new state pension will see a bigger increase of £6.60 a week resulting in £175.20. (Image: PA) The old state pension refers to those who reached pension age by April 6 2016 and the new state pension goes to those who reached state pension age after April 6 2016. Parental bereavement leave is being introduced In September 2018, a new workplace right for paid leave to be given to bereaved parents was officially enshrined in law. The first of its kind in the UK, the Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay Act 2018 is expected to come into force in April 2020 and will give employed parents the right to two weeks leave if they lost a child under the age of 18 or suffer a stillbirth from 24 weeks of pregnancy. Employed parents will also be able to claim pay for this period, subject to meeting eligibility criteria. Agency workers' rights are changing Agency workers rights are also changing in 2020. From April 6 2020, the following things will apply: Abolition of the Swedish Derogation: This may also be known as the 'pay between assignments' contracts which would previously see agency workers agree a contract that would remove their rights to equal pay with permanent counterparts after 12 weeks working at the same assignment. From April 6, these will no longer be permissible and agency workers who have been in their employment for 12 weeks will be entitled to the same pay as those on permanent contracts. All agency workers will be entitled to a key information document that more clearly sets out their employment relationships and terms and conditions with their agency. Agency workers who are considered to be employees will be protected from unfair dismissal or suffering a detriment if the reasons are related to asserting rights associated with The Agency Worker Regulations. Holiday pay calculations (Image: Shared Content Unit) From 6 April 2020, the reference period to calculate a 'week's pay' for holiday pay purposes will be extended from the previous 12 weeks of work to the previous 52 weeks. Organ donation will be an 'opt-out' system In England, people currently have a choice as to whether they sign up to be an organ donor. But from spring 2020, organ donation will become an 'opt-out' system for those over 18. (Image: PA) This means that all adults in England will be seen to have agreed to be an organ donor when they die unless they have specifically recorded a decision not to donate or are considered to be in one of the excluded groups - which includes those under 18 and people who lack the mental capacity to understand the new arrangements and take the necessary action The new system may also be referred to as Max and Keira's law. Max Johnson was given the gift of life by a young girl called Keira Ball, who tragically passed away aged 9 years old. Keira's parents made the incredibly difficult and selfless decision to help others. (Image: Daily Mirror) Max and his family have also continued to campaign and raise awareness around organ donation and it was Max who wanted Kiera's name added to the new law. The NHS are asking everyone to record their organ donation decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register and tell their family and friends what decision has been made. Better protection for puppies and kittens A new law being introduced in April will see a clampdown on 'cruel' puppy farms and dealers. Lucy's Law will ban the sale of puppies and kittens from third parties, making buyers deal directly with breeders or rehoming centres. (Image: PA) When it comes into force in spring, the new legislation requires puppies and kittens in England to be born and reared in a safe environment, kept with their mother and only sold from their place of birth, instead of a pet shop or commercial animal dealer. The law was named after Lucy, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who died in 2016 after being poorly treated on a Welsh puppy farm.

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* * * * Much of the artwork on this site is available for sale. Send me an inquiry. If it's mine, I will let you know if it's still available. If it is the artwork of another, I'll reach out in an effort to bring your worlds together. ennyman3 at gmail dot com * * * *

Two people have died as the small plane they were in crashed shortly after take-off from an airport in Kansas on New Year's Eve. The unnamed victims were on a single-engine Mooney M20S which had taken off from Johnson County Executive Airport in Olathe. Video showed the plane in a field adjacent to the airport, between 151st Street between Pflumm Road and Quivira Road, RTV6 Indianapolis reported. The plane was on fire when first responders arrived. Tony Molinaro, an FAA spokesman said that the plane crashed "under unknown circumstances" and was destroyed in the post-crash fire. Two killed in fiery plane crash in Kansas: https://t.co/ho5Rpsr74F pic.twitter.com/G2Y0kj2tte — KTBB Radio (@KTBBRadio) January 1, 2020 An initial investigation of the accident site by the Federal Aviation Administration [FAA] found that there was fuel leaking from one of the wings. Flight data is not yet available, but the pilot had taken off at 4.03 p.m. on Tuesday, and was heading for Arkansas. Olathe Fire Capt. Mike Hall told a press conference, "You could see a black cauldron of smoke as you approached the airport," adding, "It's a sad sight," ABC News reported. Newsweek has contacted the FAA for comment. Deputy Director for the Johnson County Airport Commission Larry Pete said the airport would be closed for a couple of days, pending further investigation by officials from the FAA and the the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). It comes only days after five people were killed when a small plane crashed in Louisiana. The two-engine Piper Cheyenne that was heading to a football game in Atlanta crashed about a mile away from Lafayette Regional Airport in a field next to a post office on Saturday morning. Read more Sports Reporter Carley McCord Killed in Plane Crash Saturday Steven Ensminger Jr. told ABC News that it was only after the death of his wife, Carley McCord, that he had discovered a text saying, "I love you" which she had sent before the plane took off. "It's the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think about when I finally fall asleep," Ensminger told the network. A sixth person who was aboard the plane is in a critical condition in hospital. A day later, a small plane crashed into a house near Washington, D.C., killing the pilot. At the time of the accident, no one was in the house in the neighborhood of Lanham in the north-east of the city, and no one else was injured, Fox News reported. Figures released in November showed that the number of plane fatalities in the U.S. in 2018 had increased by 13 percent from the previous year. The NTSB report showed that in 2018, 393 people had died in civil aviation accidents, compared with 347 in 2017.

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Start Slideshow During this time of year, many of us are thinking about the goals we want to achieve or the habits we want to start or stop. However, change is hard, and it can be a discouraging effort, particularly when we don’t get the results we want. However, the mere act of trying is a massive step forward. After all, change is an ongoing process, not a light switch. So for all of you out there who want to make change in your lives, here are inspirational quotes about change from 17 incredible historic figures that will help keep you fired up. Related: 20 Quotes on Coping With Change From Successful Entrepreneurs and Leaders

The remains of a teenager lost at sea in Mozambique were found on Wednesday, Netwerk24 reported. "Our deepest sympathy goes to his parents, family and friends," a message posted on Facebook prayer group for his safe return read. "May God bring peace to all our hearts." There was a request that the family not be contacted right now, but messages of condolences can be placed on the Facebook page set up during the search for the teenager. Steyn, 17, went swimming with his cousin Wian Pretorius, 16, on Sunday in the sea at Quinjata, Citizen reported. He was on holiday with his parents Nanette and Arno, sister Kayla and other relatives at the time. Wian had bodysurfed in to the shore, but Steyn simply disappeared in the strong surf. A Facebook page titled "Prayers for Muller Steyn" has contained messages of hope and comfort to his family and friends as the search continued with the help of drones, boats, jetskis and paragliders. But on Wednesday all hope was dashed.

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21-year-old Rambhi Seeda in a practice session in her farm RAJKOT: She has proven that Ekalavya is not merely a mythical character defining exemplary discipleship - 21-year-old Rambhi Seeda has shown it in her own life too.Without the help of any coach, this self-taught woman not only mastered the game of shot put, but even won the first prize of Rs 21,500 in the game in the recent state government organized 'Khel Mahakumbh 2019'."I learned various moves and techniques of shot put by watching videos on YouTube on my cellphone. I practised daily both in the morning as well as evening in my farm for months together. I clinched the top spot throwing a five and a half kg iron ball in the Khel Mahakumbh," gushed Rambhi, a resident of Parawada village, some 35 km from Porbandar Apart from shot put, Rambhi also learned discus throwing again from the videos. While she had won the second prize in discus throw in 2017 Khel Mahakumbh, she stood third in the game in 2018 and also bagged the first and second prize at the university-level competitions in the same sports."I am proud of my daughter. She has been interested in sports, especially, discus throw and shot put, since her childhood. I have always encouraged her in sports. I am glad that an event like Khel Mahakumbh has recognized her achievements," said Rambhi's father, Devsi Seeda.

Yash's wife, Radhika Pandit took to Instagram and shared a family picture, while wishing everyone a happy new year. It is to be noted that the celebrity couple are sharing the photo of their son for the first time. It will be fair to say that the celebrity couple Yash and his actor-wife Radhika Pandit are one of the most adored couples in the entertainment industry. When it comes to PDA on social media, they both will definitely occupy the must-watch list. Radhika has now shared a photo of their family, which showing her second child to the world. She also wished everyone, a happy new year. Well, this is not the first time Radhika has shared post for her hubby and she makes sure to keep their fans updated with the pictures of their happy family. The couple welcomed their daughter Ayra in 2018, and recently, they revealed that they have another addition to their family – a boy baby. Radhika also shared a throwback picture during their wedding anniversary, which gave us some serious couple goals. Their love story started when the two met at the sets of a daily soap Nandagokula in 2007. They continued to be co-stars in Mr & Mrs Ramachari and Moggina Manasu. Their relationship started as being close friends and eventually love bloomed. Their relationship was kept a secret and when they got engaged in August 2016, the broke the news to their fans. Meanwhile, Radhika is currently busy with Yash’s foundation Yashomarga Foundation, which works with an aim to help farmers. On the work front, Yash is busy with the sequel of KGF. Credits :Instagram Read More

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Destiny 2 Bungie There are a lot of discussions about the current state of Destiny 2 and what it’s doing with its “fill in the gaps” seasonal model, which will be in place for the indefinite future. But here in the beginning of 2020, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to start looking ahead to the end of 2020, which is when the new generation of consoles will arrive with Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. Normally, we have a pretty regular pattern as to how these things go. Early adopters buy new consoles and most new games are out for both the new and old systems for a while. And in this case, it seems like both Xbox and PlayStation will have some level of backward compatibility. For a game like say, God of War, that seems relatively straightforward, as there might just be the ability to play it as-is with backwards compatibility, or at most, they re-release it with PS5-level “upgrades.” For a game like Destiny 2, it’s a much, much more unique situation, given the ongoing nature of the game. And as such, I have about ten trillion questions about how this is going to work with the next generation of consoles on the horizon. Man, where to start? Destiny 2 Bungie Could Destiny 3 be a next-gen launch title? This seems pretty unlikely to me, and yet I don’t think it’s entirely out of the question. It would make sense for there to be a “clean slate” refresh with the launch of the new console generation to some degree, more so than when Destiny 2 wiped out Destiny 1 in the middle of the last console gen, at least. But I can also imagine there just being another Forsaken-sized expansion instead as the big content drop of the year, a culmination of the changing seasons’ worth of content before it. But how does that work with old and new gen? Now that we have cross save, theoretically you could have the ability to play on both say, PS4 and PS5 simultaneously, rather than having to port characters forward like we did with PS3 > PS4. Though cross play could be a different story, and I would wonder if say, you start playing on PS5, if you’re able to play with your friend still on PS4 without going back to that version yourself. What upgrades would Destiny have on next-gen? You would assume that console players could finally get the 4K, 60 fps console experience they have been yearning for, though other upgrades past that are a question, which leads me to my next point. Wouldn’t developing for last-gen hold Destiny back? This is the exact same problem we ran into in the PS3/360 era, where Destiny 2 was finally the game to throw off the shackles of the previous gen and expand dramatically as a result. Presumably the power of PS5 and Xbox Series X means that Destiny could be bigger and more beautiful than ever. And yet will Bungie still need to be developing for PS4 and Xbox One owners for years, holding back the potential of the new gen systems? I would worry about that. Here’s my theory. Destiny 2 Bungie My guess is that we get a cross-gen expansion for Destiny 2 in the fall, one that plays on both PS4 and Xbox One, and also PS5 and Series X. When played on the new consoles, we might get to see some PC-level improvements to load times and framerate, but it’s not like Bungie is going to debut some top-to-bottom next gen engine rebuild or something. Then, my guess is that we get Destiny 3, or whatever it will be called (something Destiny 3-sized at least), maybe a year or two into the next generation of consoles. And it will be fully next-gen, leaving the past games behind and, yes probably making us start over from scratch again in terms of our loot. This will be the moment when big, big changes come to the series and we might see more significant improvements due to the capabilities of the new consoles (and as ever, PC). It is probably too early for Bungie to start talking about any of this, we still have several more seasons to get through before fall, but given that next-gen launches this year, I do think these are questions to be asking and theories to be forming. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Pre-order my new sci-fi novel Herokiller, and read my first series, The Earthborn Trilogy, which is also on audiobook.

Every change begins with a leadership decision. Making the decision to institute changes is not always easy. Being prepared, planning well, and being surrounded by a good team will make that decision a lot easier. Begin by putting yourself in a positive frame of mind. You are likely to experience higher than normal levels of stress and knowing this beforehand will give you the ability to be prepared mentally and physically. You will be the anchorperson and foundation, and with your steady hand will guide your team through the stressful events. Be a reassuring and active force throughout the whole process. It is impossible to prepare for every contingency, but planning for the known is a must. Add time or extra room to the schedule for the unknowns. When you encounter an unexpected event, your schedule should not be put off by much if you have built in some leeway. It will provide that buffer that gives you and your team the ability to deal with the unknowns and keep rolling with the change process Surround yourself with people that you can delegate to and be confident in their abilities and skills. Be precise and specific with your directions as when the change process begins you will be depending on these individuals and their talents. Communicating and providing feedback are the keys to successful delegation; make sure your team understands this. If communication fails or there is not accurate feedback the chances of a success are lessened. An issue that sometimes arises when delegating is micro managing. Keep an eye out to not micro-manage as you can quickly lose track of events and it will take time away from your main duties. Delegating is a skill that takes time as you must first learn the strengths and weakness of your team and know what tasks you can and cannot hand out. It may not be possible to always delegate, but when it can be done it will provide a great resource. Always be available during the change process. Before the change prepare your friends and family that you may not be available for social events. Reassure your team that you are there for them and you are here to provide them with the necessary resources to lead them through the change. Stress to them that you are available and focused on keeping the communications lines open. Always be aware of rumors, they will happen before during and after the change. Do not ignore any rumor, put out honest and clear communication as soon as possible. Reassure your team that if they hear a rumor to seek out more information from a reliable source. Remind them that spreading rumors helps no one and will cause more harm than good. Not everyone will agree on the change. Keep in mind that these types of feelings are normal, as people generally do not enjoy change and are sometimes made nervous by it. You will likely encounter pushback and resistance by a number of team members. Provide facts and data to show why the change is happening and reassure them the need and benefits of the change. These types of individuals are best suited to be educated about the change with information. If you are encountering an extreme case of pushback, provide them with some choices that still fall within the spectrum of the intended change. They should then feel more involved in the process and it will help alleviate the negative mindset they may be experiencing.It is vitally important to make sure that all stakeholders and employees are on board with a change. In order to continue increasing awareness and to build desire to support the upcoming change; the change management team must reach out to the organization at large. The force field analysis, developed by German social psychologist Kurt Lewin helps a change management team to: • Identify pros and cons of an option prior to making a decision • Explore what is going right — and what is going wrong • Analyse any two opposing positions. If concerns or issues arise, then steps must be taken to ensure awareness is continually raised and that desire to support the change is increased. Strategies that can help the change management team responsively address employees’ concerns include: • Engaging employees, providing forums for people to express their questions and concerns • Equipping managers & supervisors to be effective change leaders and managers of resistance • Orchestrating opportunities for advocates of the change to contact those not yet on board • Aligning incentive and performance management systems to support the change. Change is not exempt from Murphy’s Law. And even if something isn’t going wrong, change management team members must constantly be observing, listening, and evaluating the progress and process during a change. Below are several tools to help the team accomplish this. A feedback form is used to gather information from those involved in a change to help shape the remaining course of the change project. Instead of a paper form, feedback can be obtained through online surveys (Zoomerang.com or Survey Monkey.com), an in-house questionnaire on the intranet, a few questions sent by email, or a focus group. The questions will vary depending upon the subject being queried. Open Feedback include asking participants for suggestions and comments. The compiled results of the feedback forms can be used by the change management team members to modify the project plan and/or the communication plan or to work with specific individuals or groups that may be providing roadblocks to success. Once a change initiative is underway, it is critical to sustain the change with reinforcement. The leader must make sure that the project and communication plan remain on track. They need to identify, and explore any issues from employees or stakeholders that have emerged, and review and consider any feedback gathered to date. Acting as a facilitator, the leader helps to bring about learning and productivity. Communication will be a byproduct of this by providing indirect or unobtrusive assistance, guidance, and supervision.He or she listens actively, asks questions, encourages diverse viewpoints, organizes information, helps the group reach consensus, and understands that the individual needs of team members will affect teamwork. The LEAD model provides a simple methodology for facilitating a participative meeting: • Lead with objectives: When clear objectives are stated up front, group energy is channeled toward achieving an outcome. The objectives shape the content of the meeting. • Empower to participate: In the Lead model, the facilitator is empowered to encourage active participation. • Aim for consensus: Getting the team to consensus will have members more likely to support and carry out the decisions of the team. • Direct the process: How the meeting progresses will influence the quality of the decisions of the team, and influences the commitment of team members. Leaders must differentiate between process and content. Content includes the topics, subjects, or issues; process is about how the topics, subjects, or issues are addressed. Because communications from managers and supervisors have been shown to have a significant impact on employees during a change initiative, it is appropriate that they be actively involved in celebrating success with employees as a result of positive performance. Celebrations can occur on three levels: 1. One on one conversation: In a private meeting, a supervisor should attest to the fact that due to the employee’s effort, a change was made, and how it is succeeding. He or she should extend verbal thanks to the employee. 2. Public recognition: Public recognition officially acknowledges outstanding performance and points out a role model that helped make a successful change happen. Supervisors should carefully consider who receives recognition, and not alienate group members who participated in the change but who many not have distinguished themselves as significantly. 3. Group celebrations: Fun or engaging activities are used to celebrate key milestones by a group. They include buffet or restaurant lunches, dinner events, or can include group outings to sports, amusement, or cultural events. It is important that these types of celebrations try to include the involvement of the primary change sponsor in some way. Professor Akindotun Merino Email: Info@africamentalhealth.net Twitter: @drakinmerino Fb: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Africamentalhealth/ Phone: 08118048229

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jeancliclac/iStock(PERRIS, Ca) — Dozens of llamas were stolen and set loose from an exotic animal farm in Perris, California, following calls on social media that the animals were being mistreated, according to reports. Deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and officers from the Riverside County Department of Animal Services rounded up about 30 llamas after receiving calls that they were running amok along a busy roadway in Perris, some 70 miles east of Los Angeles, ABC Los Angeles station KABC reported. The llamas were freed after someone cut the lock to a fence and loaded them onto a truck before dawn on Monday, according to the station. The stolen animals were worth about $1.6 million, one worker told KABC. Neighbor James Aiken told KABC that he looked out his window and saw the llamas gallivanting down the street. “I thought, ‘That’s kind of strange,'” he said. The farm, which sits on 14 acres, houses other animals such as ostriches, alpacas, emus and water buffalo. The farm has been targeted on social media by activists who claim the animals are being abused and neglected. While the Riverside County code enforcement department is working with the property owner regarding violations on some overgrown land, animal control found no evidence of mistreatment after several visits, stating that the animals appear to be in good health and are watered and fed regularly, KABC reported. Animal control spokesman John Welsh told the Riverside Press Enterprise that the “rage on social media” prompted the department to send investigators to the property “almost every day” over the last week and a half. The caretakers started putting the feed near the property line to prove the animals were being cared for after a “public sideshow” resulted from the social media claims, he added. “It’s not a well-kept property, but we don’t have any evidence of animal abuse or neglect, whatsoever,” Welsh told the local newspaper. About 355 birds and hoofed animals live on the property, Welsh said. Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Nowadays, registered investments advisors (RIAs), financial planners, financial advisors, wealth managers, even money doctors are pretty much tossed around and used interchangeably. But while each could claim of giving you sound financial advice, each would be using an entirely different model for doing so. And, what may work for your co-worker may not necessarily work for you. If you are looking to focus on your money life in 2020 and wondering of all the options out there, read on. Sebi-RIAs: When it comes to money management, there are basically two models used by those providing ...

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DUBAI (Reuters) - Southern separatists in Yemen have pulled out of committees implementing a November agreement to end a power struggle in the south that had opened a new front in the country's multifaceted war. The pact was reached after more than a month of indirect talks in Saudi Arabia. Under the deal, the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) and other southerners would join a new national cabinet and place all forces under control of the internationally recognised government. An STC spokesman told Reuters the STC negotiating team had withdrawn from the joint committees working to implement the deal, known as the Riyadh agreement. It was not clear what impact this suspension would have on the future of the agreement, which Saudi Arabia had hailed as a step towards a wider political solution to a conflict which has raged since 2015. A member of the STC's presidential council, Salim al-Awlaqi, said in announcing the move on Twitter that it was in protest against violence in Shabwa province it blamed on forces loyal to the Islah party. The STC and its backers the United Arab Emirates oppose the Islamist Islah party, which is the backbone of the government of internationally recognised President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Recent violence in Shabwa is part of an ongoing struggle for influence between forces loyal to Hadi and southern forces. The separatists accuse Hadi's government of mismanagement and corruption and took over the interim capital Aden in August, prompting the talks which led to the Riyadh agreement. The Aden standoff had opened a new front in the almost five-year war and fractured a Saudi-led coalition battling the Iran-aligned Houthi movement that ousted Hadi's government from the capital, Sanaa, in the north in late 2014. Implementation of the November pact has been slow and a number of deadlines missed, although it has enabled the return of the prime minister for the internationally recognised government to Aden. (Reporting by Lisa Barrington and Mohammad Ghobari; editing by Philippa Fletcher)

DUBAI (Reuters) - Six Saudi Arabian prisoners held in Yemen by the Iran-aligned Houthi group returned home on Wednesday, in a move welcomed by the United Nations as it pushes for political negotiations to end almost five years of war. Facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) the six men arrived in Riyadh, the spokesman for a Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen said in a statement. He said the exchange had been part of the Stockholm agreement, a U.N.-mediated deal reached last December in a breakthrough in peace efforts. The agreement contained a prisoner exchange which has been slowly and only partially implemented in small batches throughout the year. "We await reciprocal steps to be taken by the enemy forces for the release of our prisoners," the head of the Houthis' prisoner affairs file said in comments carried by al-Masirah TV. In late November dozens of Houthi prisoners released by Saudi Arabia returned to Yemen's Houthi-held capital Sanaa. "I urge the parties to continue the momentum of confidence-building until all detainees are reunited with their loved ones," United Nations Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths said on Twitter. Yemen has been mired in almost five years of conflict since the Houthi movement ousted the internationally-recognized government of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi from power in Sanaa in late 2014, prompting intervention in 2015 by a Saudi-led military coalition in a bid to restore his government. The United Nations has been trying to re-launch political negotiations to end the war, which has killed tens of thousands of people and pushed millions to the brink of famine. Meanwhile, Riyadh has been holding informal talks with the Houthis since late September about a wider ceasefire, sources familiar with the discussions have said, as it seeks to exit an unpopular war after its main coalition partner the United Arab Emirates withdrew troops earlier in 2019. (Writing by Nafisa Eltahir and Lisa Barrington, editing by Louise Heavens, William Maclean)

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un declared an end to moratoriums on nuclear and Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) tests and threatened a demonstration of a "new strategic weapon" soon. Washington was swift to respond, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging Kim to "take a different course" and stressing that the United States wanted "peace not confrontation" with the North, while President Donald Trump played down the development, AFP reported. Pyongyang has previously fired missiles capable of reaching the entire US mainland, and has carried out six nuclear tests, the last of them 16 times more powerful than the Hiroshima blast, according to the highest estimates. A self-imposed ban on such tests – Kim declared they were no longer needed – has been a centerpiece of the nuclear diplomacy between Pyongyang and Washington over the past two years, which has seen three meetings between Kim and Trump, but little tangible progress. Any actual test is likely to anger Trump, who has repeatedly referred to Kim's "promise" to him not to carry them out, and has downplayed launches of shorter-range weapons. Negotiations between the two sides have been largely deadlocked since the breakup of their Hanoi summit in February, and the North set the US an end-of-year deadline for it to offer fresh concessions on sanctions relief, or it would adopt a "new way". "There is no ground for us to get unilaterally bound to the commitment any longer," the official KCNA news agency cited Kim as telling top ruling party officials. "The world will witness a new strategic weapon to be possessed by the DPRK in the near future," he added, referring to the North by its official name. The full meeting of the central committee of the ruling Workers' Party was an indication of a major policy shift. State television showed veteran newsreader Ri Chun Hee reading out the KCNA dispatch over footage of Kim addressing the officials and general imagery of the country. The broadcast appeared to stand in place of Kim's usual New Year speech – normally a key moment in the North Korean political calendar. Kim acknowledged the impact of international sanctions imposed on Pyongyang over its weapons programs, but made clear that the North was willing to pay the price to preserve its nuclear capability. "The US is raising demands contrary to the fundamental interests of our state and is adopting brigandish attitude," KCNA cited him as saying. Washington had "conducted tens of big and small joint military drills which its president personally promised to stop" and sent high-tech military equipment to the South, he said. For months, Pyongyang has been demanding the easing of international sanctions imposed over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, while Washington has insisted it takes more tangible steps towards giving them up. The US has already indicated that it will react if the North carries out a long-range missile test. Speaking to Fox News and CBS after Kim's announcement, Pompeo said a resumption of nuclear and missile tests would be "deeply disappointing". "We hope that Chairman Kim will take a different course... that he'll choose peace and prosperity over conflict and war," Pompeo said. "We want peace, not confrontation," he added, with Seoul's Unification Ministry adding that a strategic weapon test "would not help denuclearization negotiations". Trump himself was emollient, saying that he thought Kim was "a man of his word" and that at their Singapore summit, "We did sign a contract, talking about denuclearization". An ICBM launch would likely frustrate China, the North's key diplomatic backer and provider of trade and aid, which always stresses stability in a region it regards as its own backyard.

Pyongyang: In what is seen as escalation of tension, the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has declared an end to moratoriums on nuclear missile tests. Kim has even threatened a demonstration of a “new strategic weapon” soon. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged Kim to “take a different course” and stressing that the US wanted “peace not confrontation” with the North. North Korea has previously fired missiles capable of reaching the entire US mainland. It has carried out six nuclear tests. The last of them is 16 times the size of the Hiroshima blast. Negotiations between the two countries were largely deadlocked since the breakup of their Hanoi summit in February.

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On a stormy Saturday, Raina Huang settled into a corner at the La Habra Crab Shack and gorged her face on a spicy 10-pound seafood boil. She wolfed down mussels, clams and Dungeness crab while looking straight into a camera that was filming for her YouTube channel. “Oh my God, the garlic, it’s so yummy. Lots of places don’t marinate it right and they don’t give you this much sauce,” she gushed, on cue. “My mouth is definitely on fire.” In her junior year, the 25-year-old left UC Riverside, where she was studying business, to become one of the few Chinese American competitive food eaters in the U.S. At 5-feet-7 and 135 pounds, she once polished off a 4-pound burrito in six minutes and for a recent promotion devoured 100 chicken wings. Initially, her foreign-born father worried that his daughter was losing the chance at a well-paying, prestigious career. Advertisement But Huang’s risky move earned her entrance to the newly founded Asian Hustle Network, a California-based support group and social hub for young Asian American professionals and serial entrepreneurs across the globe, many of whom are children of immigrants who toiled at multiple, more conventional jobs to give their kids a shot at stable lives. Competitive eater and YouTuber Raina Huang photographs food and drink as she prepares to eat 10lbs of seafood at The Crab Shack while filming an episode for her channel in La Habra. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times) Her new gig as a competitive eater and social media influencer — she’s the star of 600-plus videos — finally has won her father’s approval. “I’m actually surprised with her character right now, once I got used to her choice,” Wil Huang, an IT engineer, said about his eldest daughter. Advertisement Huang, who hails from mainland China, described himself and his wife as “more traditional,” adding that he intends to teach Raina’s younger sister, who’s studying pharmacology, “to work 8 to 5 in a corporation or some research firm, simply to do a regular job.” “But with Raina, we accept that she can handle it,” he said. “I told her if this is what you choose, you need to find a way to survive — and she actually did. She is strategic.” Bryan Pham, who started the Asian Hustle Network on Facebook with Maggie Chui, the founder of Prism Apparel, said that diversity in background and profession is what makes members stand out. He had gone to a start-up event at UC Berkeley and wondered why there was no online network just for Asian professionals. “We wanted a network where we can lift each other up, share resources, make an impact. I knew that we could be stronger together.” Pham’s mother, Lai Vuong, reminds her son about the sacrifices that the family made in order for him to succeed. “Like many Asian parents, we worked endless hours to prove to our children what it takes to achieve and we went without so they could have what they need,” she said. “Do you think Vietnamese elders have the luxury to just sit and relax? I know the elders can be unreasonable. We don’t explain why our children need to be doctors and lawyers. We just know that having lived in wartime, we want what is safe, what will protect them when there is crisis. The money you earn in those careers is your protection.” When the network launched on Nov. 8 it immediately resonated with self-styled doers, investors, inventors and all manner of entrepreneurs going against the norm who flocked to the group’s Facebook page and invited hundreds of their friends to join in. That momentum has helped the network surge to more than 13,000 members. Pham, Chui and group moderators aim to hit the 1-million mark. Bryan Pham and Maggie Chui co-founded the Asian Hustle Network, a Facebook group that aspires to reach 1 million Asian American professionals around the world. (Angelina Hong) Advertisement The group boasts chief executives, chief financial officers, some people who were temporarily homeless before cashing in on success and other people with polished resumes listing MBAs, PhDs, Ivy League educations, expertise in such industries as real estate, import-export and multinational financing, or work for Fortune 500 companies. One member reminisced online about living the sweet life with his cookies that were chosen by Business Insider as Best Chocolate Chip Cookie in California. Others have posted about their high-level promotions in Silicon Valley or winning on “Shark Tank” or delivering TED talks. Linda Nguyen, president-elect of the Asian American Business Assn. of Orange County and a new AHN member, said that the difference between this group and other business associations is “the difference between old world and new world thinking.” “This network is not just for referrals — we talk about vulnerabilities, about failures that lead to success. It’s almost confessional,” Nguyen said. “People around the world share about the time when they totally crash and burn and how they dug themselves out,” she added, “and during this moment, when mental wellness is at the forefront of society, this process can help relieve the loneliness of doing business.” Regina “Push” Estrada, the Filipina American behind Gold Leaf Ink, an upscale tattoo studio in San Francisco, said that group members’ “experiments, failures and success give us a lesson to learn.” “We’re all looking for our own niche and this network has really hit on something that never was available before,” she said. “In this space, we can be ourselves and express ourselves — without judgment.” Group co-founder Pham grew up in the San Gabriel Valley watching his Vietnamese American parents run Tony’s Appliances and never take vacations. At 30, he’s based in the Bay Area and has moved beyond a software engineering background into property investment and working as director of strategic partnerships at Startup Grind Berkeley, where he unites start-up communities and helps them get funding. He also has a podcast, “Crushing It in Real Estate.” Advertisement Some Asian Americans, he said, “believe there’s a bamboo ceiling over their heads, that they can’t achieve on their own or are stifled by what their parents expect of them.” He pays his parents’ monthly mortgage on their Temple City home. Part of Pham’s motivation is knowing that Asian Americans “aren’t well represented at all, especially in the majority of executive seats around America.” But by combining forces within the network, he believes, that can change. “We can build on each other’s connections, we can seed entrepreneurs, we can boost mentorship. Ultimately, we can be billionaires. We can hustle.” Entrepreneur Lisa Song Sutton, 34, would agree. The Arizona native, daughter of a Korean mother and a white father, followed the traditional path, enrolling in law school at the University of Miami, then working in a firm focusing on business litigation. “It wasn’t a matter of me going to college — it was, ‘Which graduate school will you enter?’” she recalled of the expectations that surrounded her. “We always talked about goals.” Sutton kept practicing law, even after being crowned Miss Nevada in 2014, becoming the first person of Asian descent to win the title that led to more than 500 community appearances and a TEDX talk on building community. Along the way, she and close friend Dannielle Cole teamed up to open Sin City Cupcakes. Their alcohol-laced desserts became so popular that they garnered business from vendors exhibiting at Las Vegas’ famed Consumer Electronics Show; Twitter placed an order for 2,000 treats. The women’s bakery has expanded to Dallas and they’re eyeing a third branch in Southern California. “When I think of hustle, I think of grit, that mental toughness, that moment when you get up and do the work on the day you don’t want to do it. The strength of the people in this network symbolizes that,” Sutton said. YouTuber Raina Huang and Jun Chai look at the shells left over after Huang ate 10lbs of seafood at The Crab Shack while filming an episode for her channel. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times) To Huang, the network is vital to her career because it has attracted countless members fronting food or restaurant investments, forming an ever-expanding pool of clients for her to tap. She said that eating competitively has allowed her to better understand nutrition and propelled her travel to 15 states, along with Spain and Taiwan. Recently, she headed to Hawaii, where she had appearances at a pancake house, two burger hotspots and an eatery known for loco moco, a Hawaiian dish. Come 2020, she’s hitting the Southern U.S. and Japan. She has plans to diversify her repertoire with travel videos. “I ate a lot all my life, but I really didn’t know about food challenges since it’s not really visible in Chinese culture,” she said. Her father worries for her health. But after discussing her career with his Chinese friends, he realized that internet celebrities are increasingly a thing “in our homeland. For some reason, they broadcast wherever they go and people are fascinated.” “Raina is smart,” he said. “Asian parents have to realize it’s not just grades.”

Novelist and master of travel writing Paul Theroux, who made his name journeying from the U.K. to Japan and back by train for The Great Railway Bazaar , hit the open road for his latest book. We spoke to him about his most recent trips—and how he's changed as he's traveled the world. Where have you just returned from? I've spent three or four months of almost every summer, from 1971 or '72 until the present one, in Cape Cod , where I am right now, without really moving. Traveling in the summer is no fun, because everyone else is doing it. The weather in Cape Cod is lovely throughout autumn, so I plant myself there, then travel in the middle of winter or in the spring. I also find that I get a lot of work done in the summer; you can only write if you're in one place for an extended period of time, without interruption. What is your earliest holiday memory? Going to visit my aunt and uncle in Hartford, Connecticut, when I was seven or eight. My parents put me on the train in Boston , alone, and I sat by the window. It was early summer, and I just looked out at the tobacco fields. It's a memory of being free and very content. I definitely had the feeling that I wanted to do it again, so that's the origin of my wanderlust, I suppose. What is the greatest train route on earth? Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi . It was built after the Vietnam War ended. You can book a sleeper and continue up to the Chinese border. It's a really interesting coastal route, with nice people and a sense of forgiveness, which is a very big thing because so much was destroyed in the war. What made you want to write a book about Mexico? When I was working on an earlier book, I went to Nogales, Arizona, which is right on the border with Mexico. I had never seen the 30-foot rusty steel fence that divides the two before. It's a strange, beautiful object, like a sculpture running through the landscape. It had a door in it, and it was fairly straightforward: I parked my car in Arizona, went through it, and suddenly I was in Mexico, with Mexican food, people, beer, tacos. I met migrants who were trying to get into the U.S., people who had been kicked out. Then Trump became president. One of the reasons for travel is to destroy stereotypes, so I thought, I'm going to write about Mexico and see what it is, every bit of it. How has your love of travel evolved? When I started traveling I was a self-involved smarty-pants. I thought that a travel book was about the traveler: I like this, I don't like that. At some point I put my ego in check and realized that it isn't about whether you're having a good or bad time; it's about the stories people tell. Do you have a favorite city? I find city life nasty, but if I had to choose one, I would say London. You can still live in a house in London; my kids, Louis and Marcel, live in houses there. You can't do that in Manhattan. People in London are friendly, and it's a lovely place to visit. And a favorite view? Looking west from Waimea Bay in Hawaii, past the palm trees and the outcrops of lava rock, to the Pacific. There's something about watching the sea that is very calming, and it keeps changing with the light. A place that most lived up to the hype? New England in the autumn . It never fails to dazzle me. The trees turn golden. Henry David Thoreau said, 'The leaves teach us how to die,’ so when you see the changing of the season, you think, Well, this is a cycle. It's what is going to happen to us. How do you relax? I lie on very hot sand on a beach in Hawaii and fall asleep, with the heat against my back, and snore and drool. The most interesting person you've met? A beachcomber, north of Cooktown in Australia. He was originally from England, and he was alone, with a dog and an orderly little camp where he was brewing beer. He was building a raft, which he said he was going to sail around the country. I asked, ‘Do you think you can do it?’ He said, ‘You can go anywhere if you're not in a hurry.’ I don't know whether he made it, but that guy made an impression on me more than any head of state, painter, or writer. What do you pack first? It used to be a Swiss Army knife, but you can't travel with them anymore. Something that I always carry with me is a briefcase I've had for many, many years, made by Glaser Designs in San Francisco, which becomes almost like a portable office. What's your guilty pleasure? Fish and chips, more than a gourmet meal. One of the great fish-and-chip countries of the world is South Africa. Where in the world do you feel happiest? The guilty secret of this world traveler is that I love being at home. I have two: one in Cape Cod and one in Hawaii. When you reach a certain age, you figure out where it is you want to live, what kind of bed you want, what kind of library, what kind of swimming pool, what kind of garden. And then that becomes where you're happiest. But if you're talking about a country, I would say Mexico. I love the food, I find the people amiable—they make wonderful friends once you've earned their respect—and the landscape is everything. It has mountains, beautiful coastline, jungles, forests. And one of the great cities of the world: Mexico City, 22 million people, more than 150 museums. Plus I speak the language. That's an essential. Anywhere you still want to go? Well, I've never been to Greenland, Norway, Finland, or Sweden. But I do have a fuck-it list of places I'd never go back to. Anywhere there is a cave, cavern, or underground bunker. Skydiving out of a plane—definitely on the fuck-it list. It's actually a longer list than the bucket list. Theroux's new book On the Plain of Snakes: A Mexican Road Trip ($30, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) is out now.

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(MARE) – Mariyah is a playful eight-year-old girl of African American, Hispanic and Caucasian descent. Those who know Mariyah best would say she is helpful, bright and very caring. She has strong communication skills and is a great advocate for herself. Mariyah has a wide variety of interests which include arts and crafts projects, dance classes, puzzles, and reading. In school, she is very social and has made quite a few friends. Mariyah is legally freed for adoption and would do well in a one or two parent family. If there are other children in the home, it is recommended that they are high school aged or older. Mariyah would do best in a home where there is previous parenting experience. The placement should also have a predictable and consistent schedule for Mariyah but also maintain flexibility. Interested families should be open to maintaining visits and contact with Mariyah’s birth parents and siblings. For more information you can contact MARE: 617-964-MARE (6273) or visit www.mareinc.org. Since its inception in 1981, Wednesday’s Child has been a collaboration of the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE), the Department of Children & Families and WBZ-TV/CBS Boston. Hosted by Jack Williams for 34 years, this weekly series has given a face and voice to the children who wait the longest for families. Wednesday’s Child has helped find homes for hundreds of waiting children and continues to raise awareness about adoption from foster care.

A man was shot in the upper body Wednesday morning while trying to rob another man in the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego, police said. Around 6:30 a.m. an argument between the two men turned violent when one attempted to rob the other of his cell phone in the Swan Canyon portion of City Heights, near the corner of Thorn and 45th streets, according to police. The robbery victim then produced a handgun and shot the other man once in the upper body. The shooter then called 911 to report the incident, but fled the area prior to police officers arriving on the scene, police said. Medics took the shooting victim to a hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery. He is expected to survive his injuries, according to police. Police said that the investigation — which is being handled by Mid-City Division investigators — is still in its early stages and there is no further information about either of the men at this time.

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"He had his little clicker thing and acted like he was putting it down, and he continued to hold it and walk off," Jenna Carter said.

Okay... how many times have we seen a major candidate for President take a break to sing a Christmas Carol (in the back seat of a car) with her husband on ukulele? I don't have the faintest idea what it "means", but hey- I just felt it was worth sharing...

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Cyclists will participate in "Pablo's Memorial Ride" Wednesday honoring Pablo Sanders. Sanders was hit by a car on Christmas Eve while he was biking. He later died from his injuries. Cyclists will meet at the Scout at 4 p.m. and ride from there to Westport. Cyclists will then return back to the Scout for a candlelight vigil honoring Sanders. Those who do not want to ride may just attend the vigil starting at 5 p.m.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A cyclist who was hit by a car just before midnight on Christmas Eve died Monday, his friends told 41 Action News. Pablo Sanders Jr. was riding northbound on Southwest Trafficway and had a green light at Valentine Road when the driver hit him. Kansas City, Missouri, police said the driver tried to avoid the crash, but still struck the bicycle. Sanders had been wearing a helmet, police said, but the straps weren’t secured and it came off in the collision. Sanders was in the intensive care unit at a local hospital with critical injuries until his death Monday. According to the GoFundMe page set up for funeral expenses and the financial support of his family, Sanders discovered his passion for cycling over the last decade, and “married his bikes, and has been keeping the rubber side down every day.” Sanders frequented Midwest Cyclery and even sported the store’s logo in tattoo form on his leg. The store’s owner, Christina Decker, said Sanders was “unbelievably happy, always smiling,” and had “a heart of gold.” A memorial ride is planned on New Year's Day, starting at The Scout in Penn Valley Park, to Westport, and back to The Scout for a candlelight vigil. Anyone who doesn't wish to ride is asked to meet the group at The Scout at 5 p.m. Lulu's Thai Noodle Shop is also hosting an event in remembrance of Sanders, who worked at the Westwood, Kansas, location. "We are saddened by the loss of such a kind, gentle and positive soul," a Lulu's spokesperson said. A flyer for the event reads "One of our own was struck while riding his bike. We all love Pablo, so on the 7th and 8th of January the proceeds from every Pad Thai with tofu, veggies or chicken will be donated to our dear friend." An online petition asking Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and the city council to take action to make streets safer for everyone had more than 400 supporters as of Tuesday afternoon. —

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editorials Updated: Jan 01, 2020 18:14 IST The decision of the Centre to press ahead with the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the decision of a range of Opposition-ruled states to not implement the CAA, and in the case of West Bengal and Kerala, even the National Population of Register, brings to fore a new trend in India’s federal compact. Indian federalism has evolved over the decades, and this can be broadly structured in four phases. The first lasted for four decades after Independence. The Constitution, in fact, does not use the term federal, but calls India a “union of states”. The backdrop of Partition and the recognition among founders that the country needed a strong Centre to consolidate the Republic gave India a quasi-federal structure — where the Centre was more powerful than the states. The fact that the Congress was in power both at the Centre and in most states meant that politically too, Delhi remained more powerful than state capitals. The second phase saw the rise of the regional parties and the decay of the Congress, particularly since the late 1980s, changing the distribution of power. The emergence of the coalition era, where regional parties had extraordinary power to decide who would govern in Delhi, reinforced the trend. Suddenly, states were equally — if not more — powerful than the Centre. The third phase began in 2014 and subsequent state polls. India had a single-party majority government after three decades. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also swept polls in a majority of Indian states. This meant that Delhi was once again more powerful than the states, which largely abided by the Centre’s political directives and implemented schemes and policies. But the past year has seen a new equilibrium emerge. The Centre is strong, but states have strongly begun asserting their independent identity. As more states slip out of the control of the BJP, and as politics becomes more polarised, India is headed towards a fourth phase where both the Centre and the states are strong, and there is an underlying tension within the federal compact. To ensure that this does not slide into a dysfunctional polity, there is a need for accommodation on both sides. The BJP must recognise that while it has a brute majority in the Lok Sabha, running a diverse country like India requires sensitivity to regional aspirations and a working relationship with parties opposed to it nationally, but which exercise power in specific geographical domains. The states too must recognise that the division of powers in the Constitution is sacred — and abide by the spirit of the Union, State and Concurrent lists that specify which unit has the authority over which subjects. A collision between the Centre and states will undermine Indian unity.

Regionalism, like subnationalism, is a persistent presence in Indian politics, which the Centre needs to engage with — it resonates in regions as diverse as Kashmir, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. Regionalism, like subnationalism, is a persistent presence in Indian politics, which the Centre needs to engage with — it resonates in regions as diverse as Kashmir, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. The near unanimous resolution passed by the Kerala legislative assembly against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is a sign of the unease and tension that has crept into the federal arrangement between states and the Centre. The Narendra Modi government had brushed aside the reservations that a cross-section of the Opposition and civil society expressed over the new citizenship law. At least seven states, including NDA-ruled Bihar, have since announced that they will not implement the CAA. The Kerala assembly resolution, which describes the CAA as being against “the basic values and principles” of the Constitution, indicates that the Union government continues to ignore the opposition of state governments at its own peril. The Centre needs to engage with the dissenting states and listen to their legitimate concerns about the Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens. Its attempt to read the opposition to the Act in a legalistic manner misses the big picture. The emergence of the BJP as the main pole of the polity since 2014 has accentuated the tension that always existed between the Centre and the states. Under Modi and Amit Shah, the BJP has pushed the agenda of subsuming India’s several diversities — religious, ethnic, linguistic, dietary, among others — under the rubric of One India. It evidently believes that the electoral endorsement it has received nationally also indicates public acceptance of its ideological project. The pushback from the states is, however, a reflection of the discomfort that significant sections of the population have about the party’s aggressive push towards all-round homogenisation. The BJP has been losing assembly elections, and even allies, as it privileges its unitary impulses and ignores regional concerns. Regionalism, like subnationalism, is a persistent presence in Indian politics, which the Centre needs to engage with — it resonates in regions as diverse as Kashmir, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. Attempts to impose the Centre’s will at the cost of regional sentiments have provoked extreme anxieties in the past. The onus is on the Centre to ensure that its relations with the states are not frayed. The CAA-NRC debate has threatened to reopen communal faultlines, and the states seem acutely conscious of this. Instead of reading the letter of the Constitution to states to emphasise the supremacy of Parliament in legislation, the Union government needs to also abide by the Constitution’s spirit, and respond sensitively to the federal pushback. For all the latest Opinion News, download Indian Express App

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The shuffle at the top of the league continues as the Blues rise and Islanders drop off in the last power rankings of 2019. 1. St. Louis Blues: Somehow, the Blues seem to keep getting better no matter what is thrown at them. 2. Washington Capitals: Even with a few less-than-perfect patches, they’re consistently one of the best teams in the league. 3. Boston Bruins: With point in seven straight games, the Bruins appear to have righted the ship. 4. New York Islanders: They’ve won just two of their last six games and appear to have come back down to earth after an unsustainable run. 5. Colorado Avalanche: They’re fully healthy for the most part finally but have seen their game slide over the past week as well. 6. Philadelphia Flyers: Apparently are good? At least heading into the new year they seem to be. 7. Dallas Stars: This turnaround shouldn’t be so shocking since everyone predicted the Strars would be solid going into the season, but it’s still impressive. 8. Pittsburgh Penguins: Sidney Crosby is coming back soon and the rest of the league should be real worried about that. 9. Toronto Maple Leafs: The Sheldon Keefe era appears to be a success early. 10. Vegas Golden Knights: These are the Golden Knights you were looking for. Some players are finally playing to their ceiling and the result has been a steady improvement on pedestrian first couple of months. 11. Florida Panthers: Noel Acciari can’t do it every night but the Panthers are finding ways to finally play the higher tier of hockey it seemed their roster is capable of. 12. Carolina Hurricanes: Still a confusing team, but boy Dougie Hamilton finally is the guy Bruins fans hoped he was much earlier in the decade. 13. Tampa Bay Lightning: We learned last year not to count teams out too soon, and when they’re as powerful as the Lightning, that should be especially true. 14. Arizona Coyotes: The Hall and ‘Yotes tour has started to slow down but they’re in the playoff race and have a high upside still. 15. Vancouver Canucks: Imagine where they’d be without Jacob Markstrom carrying the load. 16. Nashville Predators: They had a strong run for a bit that fell short this week as the Preds still try to get back to that playoff level. 17. Columbus Blue Jackets: They have a 10 game point streak and it’s not all against the Capitals, even! 18. Calgary Flames: Way too streaky and most of the streaks aren’t in the W column. 19. New York Rangers: Maybe we were all wrong to write them off so early. 20. Minnesota Wild: Are good? 21. Chicago Blackhawks: Still mired in a well below average season heading into the new year. 22. Winnipeg Jets: If the concern was what happens when Connor Hellebuyck comes back down to earth, we are witnessing that now. 23. Montreal Canadiens: They might be too far in a hole to come back this season if nothing changes there. 24. Buffalo Sabres: The two contests against the Bruins this weekend showed who they really are. 25. Ottawa Senators: Still not as hopeless as we all imagined yet not even close to relevant still. 26. Edmonton Oilers: Now, these ARE the Edmonton Oilers we were looking for. 27. Anaheim Ducks: Yeah they just have nothing going. 28. Los Angeles Kings: The fire sale should happen at any time for a Kings team with plenty to unload. 29. San Jose Sharks: Things haven’t gotten better. Now they’re 2-10 in their past 12 games with no improvement in sight. 30. New Jersey Devils: The season from Hell rolls on. 31. Detroit Red Wings: Still historically bad! Might a new coach help?

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LUCKNOW: Nearly six months after 11 tribals were killed in indiscriminate firing by the head of Umbha village in Sonbhadra over a land dispute, police authorities on Wednesday penalised five cops with a fine equal to their 30-day salary for lackadaisical attitude which led to violence.Superintendent of police, Sonbhadra, Ashish Srivastava said, “When village head Yagya Dutt tried to forcibly grab a disputed piece of land in 2017, police inspector Shiv Kumar Mishra and his predecessor Mool Chand Chauhan, did not pay heed to complaints by Gond tribals. They handled the matter with a prejudiced approach.”“Three constables – Kanhaiya Lal, Sudhakar Yadav and Pramod Kumar Singh – did not act as per rule of law and followed directions of their senior officers. As a result, 30 days’ salary of these cops will not be given to them for their services,” he added. On July17 last year, a group of villagers belonging to Gond tribe were carrying out farming on disputed land when a group of men, led by gram pradhan Yagya Dutt, reached there to take possession of the land which, they claimed, was purchased by him and his relatives in 2017.This led to violence which left 11 tribals killed and 21 others injured.The government ordered an SIT probe into the incident which is still pending.Sonabahdra district police also launched a probe into the role of cops who had served at Ghorawal police station under whose jurisdiction Umbha village falls. On October 14, police also filed a chargesheet against 51 people.

ST. LOUIS — The new year is off to a bloody start in St. Louis, with five people shot to death on New Year's Day. Three of the victims were killed in one incident. Police were called shortly after midnight to an intersection in the Benton Park neighborhood, where the victims were found dead. A fourth person was shot in the leg but survived. Police have not released details about the victims or what led to the shooting. Just before 3 a.m., police were called to another location and found a man dead from gunshots. Another person at that scene was hospitalized. Another man was gunned down around 11 a.m. on the city's north side. Police found the man unconscious and not breathing. He was pronounced dead at a hospital. In 2019, St. Louis recorded 194 homicides, up from 186 in 2018. The 2019 victims included 11 children.

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Arsenal vs. Man United Venue: Emirates Stadium Kick off: 9PM The New Year gets underway in style as Arsenal and Manchester United renew hostilities with the latest chapter in arguably the most enduring and defining rivalry of the Premier League era. Far from the peak of the 1990s and early 2000s, though, both sides enter the new decade sitting outside the top four and looking to rediscover their past glories under the leadership of a former player. There is no getting away from the fact that fixtures between Arsenal and Manchester United are a far cry from their heyday, but in Mikel Arteta and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer there are now two men in charge who know all about this contest. Solskjaer played when the rivalry was at its fiercest and most ferocious, while Arteta faced United more often than he did any other club during his playing career, not to mention his more recent ties with their local rivals Manchester City. Arteta is now in the position of having to mastermind victory against the foe he knows so well, and there would be few sweeter opponents for him to get his first win as Arsenal boss against. The Spaniard has certainly brought about an improvement from the Gunners since his appointment, at least in terms of performances if not results. Just one point from his opening two games is not the return he would have wanted, but the displays have been encouraging and the players appear to have bought into his demand for a greater work ethic and structure. It looked for a long time as though he would pick up a maiden victory in his first home game at the helm, with Arsenal the better side for much of Sunday’s London derby with Chelsea, only for a howler from Bernd Leno to gift the Blues a route back into the match as they pulled off a dramatic late turnaround to win 2-1. Such costly individual errors are perhaps the priority for Arteta to stamp out if Arsenal are to begin building any sort of consistency, with the Gunners ending 2019 by winning just one of their final 15 games across all competitions and one of their last 12 in the league. It is an unforgivable run of form for a club of Arsenal’s stature, and that is not even the most damning statistic; the North Londoners have now lost four consecutive home games for the first time in 60 years, including three in a row in the league for the first time since 1977, while they have conceded at least twice in each of their last five matches at the Emirates – their worst such run since 1965. The wait for a victory at the Emirates now stretches back seven games to October – their longest streak since 1995 – and only five teams have picked up fewer points in front of their own fans in the league this season. Sunday’s defeat means that they have now lost as many home league games in their last three outings as they had in their previous 37, and worryingly such stats go on and on. All of that has contributed to Arsenal beginning 2020 in 12th place and just six points clear of the relegation zone, with 11 points separating them from the final Champions League spot despite those above them also having struggled for consistency this season. The Gunners were 14 points better off at the same stage of last season, whereas at the start of the last decade they were still challenging for the Premier League title – something they are a whopping 31 points off doing right now. That said, the theme of the mighty falling by no means applies to just Arsenal; this would have been a top-two battle at the beginning of the 2010s, but now you could add Arsenal and United’s points together and they would only be level with league leaders Liverpool. United have at least been better than Arsenal this season, and they ended 2019 in promising fashion with wins over Newcastle United and Burnley helping to make up for their shock defeat at Watford just before Christmas. Consistency has been a major issue for the Red Devils and they have not won three consecutive league games for almost a year, but they have also only lost one of their last nine matches and have been beaten the same number of times as champions Manchester City this term. Indeed, only Liverpool picked up more points than United over the last six games of 2019, helping them to close the gap on the Champions League places to four points. The Red Devils have a difficult start to the New Year with Arsenal, Wolverhampton Wanderers twice, Man City twice, Liverpool and Chelsea to come in their first nine games of 2020, although it is those matches which have showcased the best of Solskjaer’s side so far this season. United have beaten the likes of Man City, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Leicester City, as well as being the only team to take points off Liverpool, yet they have lost to Crystal Palace, West Ham United, Newcastle United, Bournemouth, Astana and Watford. It is a damning indictment of Arsenal that many will consider them closer to the second batch of teams rather than the first right now, but the occasion and history of this rivalry could be enough to generate the big game fever which United seem to relish. Solskjaer’s side will certainly need that away from home over the coming months considering that their next five away games see them travel to Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Everton and Tottenham. Right now this trip to the Emirates looks like the easiest of the lot, although they will expect Arsenal to be much better than they have been for the most part in front of their own fans this season as Arteta once again goes in search of his first win. Arsenal possible XI: Leno, Maitland-Niles, Mustafi, Luiz, Saka, Xhaka, Torreira, Nelson, Ozil, Aubameyang, Lacazette. Man U possible XI: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw, Fred, Matic, Greenwood, Pogba, Rashford, Martial.

The New Year kicks off with a full round of fixtures in the Premier League as Liverpool look to continue what looks to be an unstoppable march towards their first title in 30 years, while everyone else looks to pick up the scraps and perhaps set their sights on different targets. Liverpool entertain Sheffield United, who saw a run of 18 away games without defeat finally come to an end when they lost to Manchester City on Saturday. Nevertheless Jurgen Klopp’s men would be well advised to not be overconfident against a side that matched City in the first half and only succumbed to second half goals from Kun Aguero and Kevin de Bruyne. Pep Guardiola’s side play one of the game of the day as they entertain an Everton that looks to be born again since the departure of Marco Silva and the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti as first team coach. City kick off 14 points behind Liverpool, who have played one game less, and Guardiola will maybe be better fixing his sights on his side’s Champions League campaign, where they face Real Madrid in the next round. The next two months have to see him resolve his City’s defensive weaknesses and hope that Aymeric Laporte completes his recovery from knee surgery to be fit to face Madrid. Second placed Leicester City travel to Newcastle on the back of their weekend triumph against West Ham United, which saw Manuel Pellegrini replaced by David Moyes in the “Hammers” hot-seat. Moyes will make his return to West Ham with a vital home match against Bournemouth, who are one point and one place above them following a run of seven defeats from their last nine games. Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta is having a tough baptism at the club and his side’s home game against Manchester United is another standout fixture to start 2020. Arsenal go into the game on the back of their 2-1 capitulation at home to Chelsea, which again highlighted the team’s mental frailty, while United look to be gaining confidence and have moved up to fifth after Christmas wins over Newcastle and Burnley. Chelsea travel to Brighton for what should be a close game, while Tottenham visit Southampton after a 2-2 draw against Norwich three days ago highlighted that Jose Mourinho’s side need to tighten up at the back if they want to compete for a top-four finish. Norwich entertain Crystal Palace looking for their first win since November 23rd and knowing they too have to stop leaking goals if they want to stay up. Nigel Pearson may have a reputation for being a somewhat dour character but he has won almost as many points from his first three games in charge (7) as his two predecessors did (9) in the previous 17 and suddenly confidence is soaring at Vicarage Road. A win at home to Wolves wouldn’t be enough to lift Watford out of the relegation zone, but it would increase their hopes of survival, while increasing the pressure on Aston Villa, who face a difficult trip to play Burnley at Turf Moor.

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MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Va. (WFXR) — Any baby is one-in-a-million, but imagine beating odds even longer than that. One local family doesn’t have to think too hard about that one, as they welcomed to the world the first baby born this decade on Wednesday at Lewis Gale Hospital Montgomery. Rebecca and David Stanley welcomed Imercyn Jean Stanley to the world at 11:32 a.m. on January 1, 2020. “She’s the biggest of the three – six pounds nine ounces, and 20 inches long,” said Rebecca. The pair got to the hospital at 11:30 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, unintentionally ringing in the New Year from the birthing center. “A new addition to the whole family. The whole family gets a fresh start,” said David. “A new beginning,” added Rebecca. Imercyn, who wasn’t due until the 20th, is the couple’s third child – joining 14-month-old Kieler Jackson Stanley and six-year-old Laylin Rose Stanley. Rebecca says she’s thrilled – and exhausted. “Tired. But worth it,” she said. In a household where sleep may prove hard to come by, some welcome news: “She’s pretty content so far,” said Rebecca. “Right after she was born, I took a nap and never even heard her,” added David. As for Imercyn’s title of ‘first of the decade,’ mom and dad say they’ve not given it too much thought. “We didn’t even realize it until the hospital came in and asked us if we’d be willing to talk to news crews, and we’re like ‘for what?” said David. “I guess we were just that tired,” added Rebecca. The pair says it’s unofficial at this point, but say doctors suspect Imercyn could be the first baby born not only in this hospital, but in all of southwest Virginia, too. An unlikely start to what’s already shaping up to be a pretty happy New Year. LATEST STORIES: Get breaking news, weather, and sports delivered to your smartphone with the WFXR News app available on Apple and Android.

An image of Pope Francis slapping his way free from the clutches of an admirer late Tuesday had social media abuzz with comments on the pontiff’s prompt riposte. Francis had greeted children before the Nativity scene on Saint Peter’s plaza and was turning away when the female worshipper cried out something, grabbed his hand and almost caused him to fall. The 83-year-old head of the Catholic church grimaced before managing to break free by slapping the woman’s hand twice. He then continued his tour, walking with some difficulty while maintaining a slightly greater distance from visitors, and gradually relaxed again as he came into contact with other children. Comments on Twitter were mostly supportive of the pontiff’s instinctive reaction. “HE IS HUMAN.. Been (sic) a Pope doesn’t make you immune to Pain or avoid Reaction to pain,” one typical comment read. In his first Mass of the New Year, the pontiff nonetheless denounced Wednesday “all violence against women” as “a profanation of God, born of a woman,” a position underscored by several Twitter enthusiasts. Another concluded that as 2020 dawned, “the pope is trending.” AFP

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I am writing to thank Sen. Jeanne Shaheen for listening to parents’ and advocates’ concerns about the high cost and shortage of available licensed child care slots. After hearing these concerns, Sen., Shaheen has become a co-sponsor of the Child Care Workforce and Facilities Act, bringing parents and other caregivers one step closer to not having to choose between work and child care. The average cost of child care in New Hampshire is astounding – often higher than the annual cost of in-state college tuition. These costs, paired with the shortage of available licensed child care slots, are alarming and unacceptable. Without adequate child care, parents are forced to choose between leaving the work force, which takes a significant toll on the local economy, and finding unlicensed care, which has the potential to negatively impact a child’s development. This act would provide states with the funds to build child care facilities and to train, incentivize and retain child care workers. As a result, there would be more child care slots available so that more children could thrive in environments that provide a strong foundation for their successful futures. In addition, since parents would be able to enroll their children in high-quality child care, this act would enable parents to contribute to the local economy by remaining in the workforce, thus boosting the local economy. I thank Sen. Shaheen for her keen commitment to bipartisan solutions, and for showing strong support for New Hampshire’s working families and children. BARBARA SOUTHARD Bradford

Dayo Ojerinde A Consultant Nephrologist at the Lagos State University College of Medicine, Prof Olugbenga Awobusuyi, has said that many people afflicted with kidney-related diseases die because they are unable to raise funds for dialysis and kidney transplant. Awobusuyi, at a fundraising event organised by St. Remmy Foundation Kidney Care Trust Fund, noted that developed countries spend more than two to three per cent of their annual health care budget on the treatment of end-stage kidney disease. “Premature deaths can inflict the families of these patients with significant economic losses. The cost of managing such diseases are also high. Treating end-stage renal disease with dialysis or transplant often leads to catastrophic spending, which robs wage earners of the ability to provide for their families. “Abandoning the patients and their families will not produce the gains in their health status. Hence, there is a need for joint intervention to reduce the menace of this killer disease,” Awobusuyi said. The nephrologist urged stakeholders in the health sector to develop strategic approaches that would generate funds for the care of patients with kidney disease. The Coordinator of the foundation, Mr Obetta Remigius, noted that kidney diseases had become a serious problem to humanity. Global records, he stressed, show that one in every 10 persons has one form of kidney disease or another. Remigius also said the socio-economicic consequences of kidney-related diseases are unimaginable. Calling for drastic and collaborative actions to curtail the disease, he said, “Substantial action should be taken by each state to reduce poverty, increase equity, improve nutrition, advance education, and develop health services and human resources. It is of the essence to know that this project is all about humanity, which we are part of. sequel to this, I humbly request that we make whatever contributions we can towards this campaign to save lives.” All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected] Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

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Fall Protection Equipment Market 2020: Report Highlights Competitive Scenario with Impact of Drivers and Challenges 2026 Posted on Jan 2 2020 7:02 AM "Fall Protection Equipment Market Report is in-depth analysis of major industry players which includes sales, growth rate, product/solution launches and enhancements analysis. " Global ' Fall Protection Equipment Market Report analysis is distributed based on key manufactures, product types, major applications, and main regions. Based on the industrial chain, this report primarily explains the definition, types, applications and key players of Fall Protection Equipment market in details. Most important Regions play dynamic role in Fall Protection Equipment market are: North America, Europe, China, Japan, Middle East & Africa, India, South America, Others. Get a Sample Copy of the Report- https://www.industryresearch.co/enquiry/request-sample/14958320 In this report deep analysis regarding Fall Protection Equipment market status, enterprise competition outline, benefits and drawbacks of enterprise product, development trends, regional industrial layout characteristics and economics policies, industrial policy has additionally been enclosed. As of raw materials to downstream buyers of this industry are analysed scientifically, the feature of product circulation and sales channel are given as well. In short, this Fall Protection Equipment report can assist you to determine a panorama of commercial development and characteristics of the Fall Protection Equipment market. Research report contains data about following major players in Fall Protection Equipment market: Rigid Lifelines Inc. (U.S) ELK River Inc. (U.S) FallTech (US) Kee Safety, Inc. (UK) Gravitec Systems, Inc. (U.S) W.W. Grainger, Inc. (US) GF Protection Inc. (US) Frenchcreek Production, Inc. (U.S) Honeywell International Inc. (US) Sellstrom Manufacturing Company (U.S) Swelock Asia Co., Ltd. (South Korea) Werner Co. (US) Petzel Group Skylotec GmbH (Germany) Hi-Rise Access ( Australia) Karam Industries(India) P & P Safety Ltd (U.K) Safetylink Pty Ltd. (Australia) MSA Safety Inc. (US) 3M Company (US) Cofra S.R.L (Italy) Total Access (UK) Ltd. Buckingham Manufacturing Co Inc. (U.S) Safe Approach Inc. (Poland) Malta Dynamics, LLC (U.S) Top Countries Data Covered in This Report: United States, Canada, Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, Netherlands, Turkey, Switzerland, Sweden, Poland, Belgium, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Columbia, Chile, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa. For More Information or Query or Customization Before Buying, Visit at- https://www.industryresearch.co/enquiry/pre-order-enquiry/14958320 Fall Protection Equipment Market Segmentation: Major Types Covered: Hard Goods Soft Goods Installed System Access System Rescue Kit Services Major Applications Covered: Construction General Industry Oil & Gas Energy & Utilities Telecom Transportation Mining Others Fall Protection Equipment market report offers insights of industrial chain, major player's market shares and upstream raw materials suppliers concerned in Fall Protection Equipment market based on industrial chain analysis, production process analysis, labour cost, raw material value price structure of Fall Protection Equipment, supply of raw materials for major manufacturers present in industry until 2019 and downstream clients. This report offers Fall Protection Equipment market research and forecast considering market price and volume by type, applications and regions for next 5 years. The Fall Protection Equipment market report additionally provides new project feasibility analysis, trade barriers, new entrants swot analysis and suggestions on new project investment in market. Purchase this Report (Price 3460 USD for a Single-User License)- https://www.industryresearch.co/purchase/14958320 Detailed TOC of Global Fall Protection Equipment Industry Market Research Report, Segment by Player, Type, Application, Marketing Channel, and Region Table of Content 1 Introduction 1.1 Objective of the Study 1.2 Definition of the Market 1.3 Market Scope 1.3.1 Market Segment by Type, Application and Marketing Channel 1.3.2 Major Regions Covered (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Mid East & Africa) 1.4 Years Considered for the Study (2014-2026) 1.5 Currency Considered (U.S. Dollar) 1.6 Stakeholders 2 Key Findings of the Study 3 Market Dynamics 3.1 Driving Factors for this Market 3.2 Factors Challenging the Market 3.3 Opportunities of the Global Fall Protection Equipment Market (Regions, Growing/Emerging Downstream Market Analysis) 3.4 Technological and Market Developments in the Fall Protection Equipment Market 3.5 Industry News by Region 3.6 Regulatory Scenario by Region/Country 3.7 Market Investment Scenario Strategic Recommendations Analysis 4 Value Chain of the Fall Protection Equipment Market 4.1 Value Chain Status 4.2 Upstream Raw Material Analysis 4.3 Midstream Major Company Analysis (by Manufacturing Base, by Product Type) 4.4 Distributors/Traders 4.5 Downstream Major Customer Analysis (by Region) 5 Global Fall Protection Equipment Market-Segmentation by Type 5.1 Hard Goods 5.2 Soft Goods 5.3 Installed System 5.4 Access System 5.5 Rescue Kit 5.6 Services 6 Global Fall Protection Equipment Market-Segmentation by Application 6.1 Construction 6.2 General Industry 6.3 Oil & Gas 6.4 Energy & Utilities 6.5 Telecom 6.6 Transportation 6.7 Mining 6.8 Others 7 Global Fall Protection Equipment Market-Segmentation by Marketing Channel 7.1 Traditional Marketing Channel (Offline) 7.2 Online Channel Contact Us: Name: Ajay More Phone: US +1424 253 0807/ UK +44 203 239 8187 Email ID: [email protected] Our Other Report: Modular Data Center Market 2019 by End-Use Industry Type, Application and Geographical Analysis Forecast 2024 Global Food Glycerine Market 2019: Product Overview and Scope, Growth Rate and Price Analysis by Type, Forecast to 2024 MENAFN02012020007010266ID1099497029

Marble Cutters Market 2020 With Top Countries Data : Industry Trends, Share, Size, Top Key Players Analysis and Forecast Research Posted on Jan 2 2020 7:02 PM "The Marble Cutters Market 2020 Report aims to provide all the participants and the vendors will all the details about growth factors, shortcomings, threats, and the profitable opportunities that the market will present in the near future. The report also features the revenue share, industry size, production volume, and consumption in order to gain insights about the politics to contest for gaining control of a large portion of the market share. " Marble Cutters Market 2020 Report offers a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the global Marble Cutters industry along with competitive landscape, Market share and revenue forecasts 2024. This report is a valuable source of guidance for companies and individuals offering Industry Chain Structure, Business Strategies and Proposals for New Project Investments. Marble cutters are suitable for cutting most types of flat stone and marble. The basic principle is the same as the circular saw for wood. The benefit of a marble cutter in comparison to an ordinary tile cutter or angle grinder is the fact that the marble cutters are handheld and therefore mobile. Get a Sample PDF of report - https://www.360researchreports.com/enquiry/request-sample/13756195 The research covers the current market size of the Marble Cutters market and its growth rates based on 5-year records with company outline of Key players/manufacturers: Bosch FERM RUBI PEDRINI S.p.A. Josch Group, Scope Of The Report : The worldwide market for Marble Cutters is expected to grow at a CAGR of roughly xx% over the next five years, will reach xx million US$ in 2024, from xx million US$ in 2020.This report focuses on the Marble Cutters in global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.S Inquire more and share questions if any before the purchase on this report at - https://www.360researchreports.com/enquiry/pre-order-enquiry/13756195 Report further studies the Marble Cutters market development status and future trend across the world. Also, it splits Marble Cutters market by Type and by Applications to fully and deeply research and reveal market profile and prospects. Major Classifications are as follows: Manual Type Electric Type Major Applications are as follows: Household Commercial Use Geographically, this report is segmented into several key regions, with sales, revenue, market share and growth Rate of Marble Cutters in these regions, from 2014 to 2024, covering North America (United States, Canada and Mexico) Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia and Turkey etc.) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam) South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.) Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa) The Marble Cutters market report provides answers to the following key questions: What will be the Marble Cutters market size and the growth rate in 2024? What are the main key factors driving the global Marble Cutters market? What are the key market trends impacting the growth of the global Marble Cutters market? Which Trending factors influencing the market shares of the top regions across the globe? Who are the key market players and what are their strategies in the global Marble Cutters market? What are sales, revenue, and price analysis by regions of Marble Cutters? What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the global Marble Cutters market? What industrial trends, drivers and challenges are manipulating its growth? What are the key outcomes of the five forces analysis of the global Marble Cutters market? Purchase this report (Price 3480 USD for a single-user license) - https://www.360researchreports.com/purchase/13756195 Major Points from Table of Contents: 1 Market Overview 1.1 Marble Cutters Introduction 1.2 Market Analysis by Type 1.3 Market Analysis by Applications 1.4 Market Dynamics 1.4.1 Market Opportunities 1.4.2 Market Risk 1.4.3 Market Driving Force 2.Manufacturers Profiles 2.4.1 Business Overview 2.4.2 Marble Cutters Type and Applications 2.4.2.1 Product A 2.4.2.2 Product B 3.Global Marble Cutters Sales, Revenue, Market Share and Competition by Manufacturer (2019-2020) 3.1 Global Marble Cutters Sales and Market Share by Manufacturer (2019-2020) 3.2 Global Marble Cutters Revenue and Market Share by Manufacturer (2019-2020) 3.3 Market Concentration Rate 3.3.1 Top 3 Marble Cutters Manufacturer Market Share in 2020 3.3.2 Top 6 Marble Cutters Manufacturer Market Share in 2020 3.4 Market Competition Trend 4 Global Marble Cutters Market Analysis by Regions 4.1 Global Marble Cutters Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Regions 4.1.1 Global Marble Cutters Sales and Market Share by Regions (2014-2020) 4.1.2 Global Marble Cutters Revenue and Market Share by Regions (2014-2020) 4.2 North America Marble Cutters Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2020) 4.3 Europe Marble Cutters Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2020) 4.4 Asia-Pacific Marble Cutters Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2020) 4.6 South America Marble Cutters Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2020) 4.6 Middle East and Africa Marble Cutters Sales and Growth Rate (2014-2020) 5 Marble Cutters Market Forecast (2020-2024) 5.1 Global Marble Cutters Sales, Revenue and Growth Rate (2020-2024) 5.2 Marble Cutters Market Forecast by Regions (2020-2024) 5.3 Marble Cutters Market Forecast by Type (2020-2024) 5.3.1 Global Marble Cutters Sales Forecast by Type (2020-2024) 5.3.2 Global Marble Cutters Market Share Forecast by Type (2020-2024) 5.4 Marble Cutters Market Forecast by Application (2020-2024) 5.4.1 Global Marble Cutters Sales Forecast by Application (2020-2024) 5.4.2 Global Marble Cutters Market Share Forecast by Application (2020-2024) 6.Sales Channel, Distributors, Traders and Dealers 6.1 Sales Channel 6.1.1 Direct Marketing 6.1.2 Indirect Marketing 6.1.3 Marketing Channel Future Trend 6.2 Distributors, Traders and Dealers 7.Research Findings and Conclusion 8.Appendix 8.1 Methodology 8.2 Data Source Continued….. About Us: 360 Research Reports is the credible source for gaining the market reports that will provide you with the lead your business needs. At 360 Research Reports, our objective is providing a platform for many top-notch market research firms worldwide to publish their research reports, as well as helping the decision makers in finding most suitable market research solutions under one roof. Our aim is to provide the best solution that matches the exact customer requirements. This drives us to provide you with custom or syndicated research reports. Contact Us: Name: Mr. Ajay More Email: [email protected] Organization: 360 Research Reports Phone: +44 20 3239 8187/ +14242530807 For More Related Reports Click Here : Global Disposable Underwear Market 2019 With Top Countries Data : Market Size, Concentration Rate, Production Volume, Price, Gross Margin and Revenue WiFi Cameras Market 2019 to 2024 With Top Countries Data : Market Size, Consumption and Growth Rate by Application, Types, Key Players and Competitive Regions Percussion Instrument Market 2019 to 2024 With Top Countries Data : Market Size, Consumption and Growth Rate by Application, Types, Key Players and Competitive Regions Linear Motion Systems Market 2019 to 2024 Growth Analysis by Manufacturers, Regions, Type and Application, Revenue, Market Size, Gross Margin Forecast Analysis MENAFN02012020007010266ID1099500740

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Police investigators believe that the shooting death of 24-year-old Chantell Whyte of Grey Ground in Manchester on Tuesday stemmed from a feud that she had with her lover. According to reports, Whyte was at her workplace at a food establishment on Race Course Road in Mandeville, where she got involved in an argument with a man at about 6.15 pm. It is understood that during the argument, the man pulled a firearm and shot Whyte before fleeing the scene. The police believe the man was in a relationship with Whyte, and are investigating reports that he may have later taken his own life.

Peel police are appealing for witnesses after a teenager was shot and killed on New Year’s Eve in Brampton. The victim has been identified as 17-year-old Jordan Henry of Brampton. Police were called to a shooting in the area of Alderbury Cres. and Autumn Blvd. just after 11:30 p.m. Tuesday. Investigators say the teen died at the scene of the shooting. Police are trying to determine whether the shooting happened outside of a house party. Anyone with information that could help with the investigation is asked to contact police.

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Open this photo in gallery Cuban asylum seekers Gabriel Pascual Rodriguez and Lisandra Benitez Oliva eat breakfast in Juarez on the morning of their first court hearing in El Paso. Ivan Pierre Aguirre/The Globe and Mail The couple had brought almost nothing with them, not even their wedding rings. And now, in a rented bedroom on the Mexican border the night before their first court hearing in the United States, Gabriel Pascual Rodriguez could not remember how to knot a tie. He had worn one only twice before, for his graduation from dentistry school and when he’d gotten married in December, 2018, almost exactly a year to the day. That was back then, before they were forced to flee Cuba in August and plunge into an uncertain future seeking asylum in the U.S. It had been four months since Mr. Pascual Rodriguez, 26, and his wife, Lisandra Benitez Oliva, 25, both dentists, had arrived in Ciudad Juarez, on Mexico’s northern border with Texas, and surrendered to U.S. border officials. Story continues below advertisement “Why do you Cubans always turn yourselves into authorities?” the Mexican detainees caught crossing the border illegally had joked inside the El Paso detention centre. For decades, Cubans migrants had been granted unique privileges. If they managed to make it to U.S. soil, they could be admitted without a visa and became eligible for permanent residency after just a year and a day. But in 2017, the Obama administration had ended that visa-free entry as part of its efforts to restore diplomatic ties with the Communist island nation, forcing Cubans to join the long list of those seeking asylum through the courts. As of January, 2019, the Trump administration began requiring asylum seekers to wait out the process in Mexico, under a program called the Migrant Protection Protocol. Now, there are more than 7,300 Cubans like Mr. Pascual Rodriguez and his wife languishing in Mexico, along with tens of thousands of other migrants, hoping for a shot at a new life in the United States. But for many, the door into the U.S. appears to be closing entirely. After a brief stay in detention, the couple were handed a package of paperwork and a court date for December, and then driven back across the border, where they joined more than 56,000 other asylum seekers waiting in Mexico. “I just want this to be over,” Mr. Pascual Rodriguez said. He had not been able to find decent work since arriving in Mexico, and the couple rarely left their rented accommodations in Juarez, fearful of being attacked or robbed. The city of 1.3 million was one of the most violent in the world, with more than 1,400 murders in 2019. There had been more than 600 reported cases of rape, robbery and other violent assaults against migrants returned to Mexico by the Trump administration. “I just want to go through the whole thing already,” Mr. Pascual Rodriguez said. “Four months here and you feel like you’ll rot away. Like you’re doing nothing useful.” Story continues below advertisement The couple had been warned that their chances of being granted asylum were slim. Just 3 per cent of those who had gone through the full MPP court process had been given permission to stay in the United States. Most had been deported to their home countries. More than half were still waiting for hearings, according to government data analyzed by Syracuse University. Nearly a third had not shown up at court and were ordered deported in absentia. Many more appeared to have withdrawn their applications. Mr. Pascual Rodriguez and his wife knew some of this from the thousands of Cubans living in Juarez who had opened small restaurants and souvenir shops in the city. Many had abandoned their asylum claims – and with them, the temporary work permits that had allowed them to stay in Mexico until their U.S. court proceedings were finished. That meant they were now working illegally in hopes the Mexican government would allow them to stay. Officials in Juarez said they had seen a surge in marriages as migrants looked for ways to gain legal residency in Mexico. Still, there was hope. The couple’s lawyer had called three days earlier with news that the judge in their case had granted asylum to a Cuban doctor a week before. So, they had cleared out the small bedroom and bathroom they’d been renting, and set aside their most important belongings to be sent to them in case they were allowed to remain in the United States. The morning of their court hearing, Ms. Benitez Oliva removed four small photos of her family from the wallet she would be leaving in Mexico, sliding the pictures inside the cellphone case she planned to bring across the border. Open this photo in gallery Ms. Benitez Oliva holds photos of her family. From top: Her father, shortly before his death in 2011; her father as a young man; her paternal grandmother before her death at age 108; her older brother, now 40 and living in the U.S., as a young man. The Globe and Mail Ms. Benitez Oliva had been forced to give up a promising ballet career at the age of 15 after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and she had lost her father to lung cancer two years later. But these four months in Mexico often seemed harder. “I always had my family with me,” she said. “Here, I am alone.” Mr. Pascual Rodriguez slipped on a brown leather coat, a gift from one of the clients he’d met while working a second job in Havana as a tour guide. The coat had been too warm for Cuba, but it was barely enough to protect against the -4 winters in northern Mexico. A family from Nebraska who’d taken one of his tours and remained close with the young couple had tried to mail them a suit and dress for the hearing. But they couldn’t get the package across the border. So Mr. Pascual Rodriguez made do with what he had, enlisting his landlord to help knot his tie. He picked up the folders of court papers. Inside were immigration documents and a half-dozen subpoenas from Cuban intelligence agents offering proof of why the couple had been forced to seek asylum. They also included affidavits from a handful of American and Canadian clients – some of whom had offered to fly to Texas to testify on the couple’s behalf. “Sending them back to Cuba would be a demise to their lives as well as ours,” wrote Steven and Christine Zeleny, the clients from Nebraska. “Please, we are pleading and begging and standing up to say that Gabriel and Lisandra’s lives depend on this outcome.” They hoped it would be enough. “We might try to appeal to the judge’s good feelings,” Mr. Pascual Rodriguez said as they headed out the door in time to arrive at the U.S. port of entry by 4:30 a.m., the cutoff to be transported to morning court. “Let’s see if she is going to let us go in and finish the process inside.” Open this photo in gallery The couple ride in a pickup truck on their way to the U.S. border. Ivan Pierre Aguirre/The Globe and Mail Open this photo in gallery Signs point toward the border crossing. Ivan Pierre Aguirre/The Globe and Mail The pair had led a relatively privileged life in Cuba. They met in medical school and worked together in a large dental clinic at a hospital in Havana, earning the equivalent of US$42 a month. On the side, Mr. Pascual Rodriguez, fluent in English, made 20 times his government salary giving tours to the swelling numbers of U.S. cruise-ship passengers who began to arrive after former president Barack Obama took steps to restore relations with Cuba in 2016. “I think new things are going to happen in Cuba,” Ms. Benitez Oliva told an American television news crew that year, when Mr. Obama became the first U.S. president to visit in 88 years. “It’s a slow process, but we have to start in some moment. And I think this is the moment.” Story continues below advertisement Tourists would often ask about what life was really like in Cuba. And even though his employer had a policy of forbidding guides from discussing Cuban politics, Mr. Pascual Rodriguez had talked openly about the country’s single-party government, complaining about rigged elections and rampant corruption. Until one day in December, 2018, when two plain-clothed police officers arrived in Old Havana, where Mr. Pascual Rodriguez was waiting to start a tour, and said he needed to come with them. At the station, intelligence officers put him in a cell, accused him of harassing tourists and interrogated him about which U.S. organization was paying for his information. He was arrested again three months later and forced to sign a restraining order preventing him from visiting the city’s tourist areas. The couple moved to Mr. Pascual Rodriguez’s hometown in the country, but the surveillance didn’t stop. He received six subpoenas in two months, sometimes requiring him to show up at the local police station late at night. According to documents they prepared for their asylum claim, the couple faced constant requests from hospital administrators to have their paperwork reviewed for mistakes. Mr. Pascual Rodriguez was banned from treating patients and reassigned to a mosquito control unit, spraying pesticides for a third of his salary. “That’s when we said we have to find a way to make a life again somewhere else,” he said. “Because it seemed like we were not going to have a life there.” They paid US$600 for an appointment at the Mexican embassy to request a tourist visa under the guise of vacationing in Cancun. Once in Mexico, they paid US$6,000 to a human smuggler who promised them an easy passage: a flight from Cancun to the border at El Paso and a priority spot on the list – now numbering more than 19,000 people – for an appointment with U.S. immigration officials at the bridge crossing. After a few days in detention, they would be headed to family in Florida to await the outcome of their asylum petition. Story continues below advertisement It had not turned out that way. The driver had instead pulled up 200 metres from the bridge and told the couple to run into a drainage ditch, past Mexican authorities and toward a U.S. Border Patrol pickup truck on the other side. After three days at the El Paso detention centre, they were driven back to Juarez to await their hearing on Dec. 17. Open this photo in gallery Mr. Pascual Rodriguez and Ms. Benitez Oliva walk on the streets of Juarez. Ivan Pierre Aguirre/The Globe and Mail Life in Mexico was not easy. The couple found Juarez too violent, so after a week, they relocated to Mexico City. Mr. Pascual Rodriguez applied for a series of professional jobs – dental assistant, call centre worker, manager at a Walmart. But employers balked at the temporary work visa U.S. asylum seekers received along Mexico’s northern border, and Mr. Pascual Rodriguez was not interested in working illegally as a street vendor. He and Ms. Benitez Oliva spent their days watching news of the impeachment proceedings in Washington, and studying the thick medical textbooks they would need to memorize if they ever hoped to qualify as doctors in the United States. Mr. Pascual Rodriguez dreamed of becoming a surgeon, something the Cuban government had refused to allow him to study for. Ms. Benitez Oliva hoped to become an orthodontist. Mr. Pascual Rodriguez also spent hours researching immigration lawyers before finding one willing to take his case at a price he could afford. Not one person on the list of pro bono lawyers U.S. officials handed out at the border had called him back. Others wanted US$8,000 up front, along with another US$3,000 for flights to El Paso and accommodation. In November, they returned to Juarez to await their court hearing. They spoke to family members daily, careful to share only good news. They vented their fears and frustrations during conversations with the Zeleny family in Nebraska, with whom they spoke up to 20 times a day. Story continues below advertisement On the morning of the hearing, as the pickup truck transporting them to the bridge wound through the empty streets of Juarez, Mr. Pascual Rodriguez played a message the Zelenys had left the night before: “Hey guys, I just pray that our Lord guides your path and guides your words and guides you to the place that you belong. His path is pure. It’s going to take you where he wants you to go.” Open this photo in gallery Mr. Pascual Rodriguez and Ms. Benitez Oliva walk with other asylum seekers across the Mexican border toward El Paso. Ivan Pierre Aguirre/The Globe and Mail At the bridge to El Paso, floodlights illuminated the early morning sky. Mr. Pascual Rodriguez surveyed the crowd of Cubans and Central Americans, many with young children. He recognized a few faces from his time in U.S. detention. “Those here for court, we are leaving now,” a border guard called out in Spanish. The group stepped forward. Before they could enter the United States, they would need to pay a toll of 10 pesos (69 cents) to leave Mexico. Several people scrambled to borrow money or make change. Shortly before 5 a.m., the group walked down the bridge and into an immigration office, where they were seated beneath smiling portraits of President Donald Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence. In U.S. custody, border guards stripped the migrants of all but their most essential clothing. Belts, jewellery, dress shirts, cash, rosaries, even shoelaces were placed in plastic bags labelled Department of Homeland Security. Mr. Pascual Rodriguez was allowed only a T-shirt, pants and his leather jacket. His carefully knotted tie went into a plastic bag, as did Ms. Benitez Oliva’s phone, the photos of her family still tucked inside. Story continues below advertisement The migrants joked that Patrick Crusius, the Texas man accused of murdering 22 people inside an El Paso Walmart last summer, whose trial they had seen on the news, had dressed better for court. “He looked like a doctor,” Mr. Pascual Rodriguez said. “We looked homeless.” Vans shuttled the migrants over the border to the El Paso courthouse, where two small courtrooms, each seating roughly 30 people, had been set aside to hear the more than 120 cases on the docket. “It’s really packed today,” a court officer said, refusing a reporter entry to the hearings. The couple, the only ones who had come with a lawyer, were up first. In took less than 20 minutes for the lawyers to exchange paperwork and agree on a date for the couple’s next hearing – a full trial on the merits of their asylum case. But it would not come until September, 2020, nine months away and more than a year after they’d first arrived in Mexico. They spent the next seven hours in separate cells inside the packed detention centre, watching as dozens of migrants requested interviews with U.S. authorities to prove they weren’t safe in Mexico and should be allowed to wait out their cases in the U.S. None was successful. Open this photo in gallery The couple walk past a migrant tent encampment near the U.S. border. Ivan Pierre Aguirre/The Globe and Mail By 9:30 p.m. – 16 hours after they’d crossed into the United States – the couple were back in Mexico, taking a taxi to their rented room in Juarez. They had emerged dejected by the thought of having to wait another nine months in Mexico for their next court date. But during those hours crammed inside the detention centre, Mr. Pascual Rodriguez had, for the first time, begun to swap stories of his immigration experience with other migrants. Some told him they had come to four, five, even eight court hearings hoping to present their case, only to be told to fill out a new pile of paperwork, find a lawyer and try again in a few months. Most told Mr. Pascual Rodriguez they were giving up on getting into the U.S. legally and planned to either find a way to stay in Mexico or cross the border on their own. Already, word of the difficult new reality of claiming asylum appeared to be spreading. Apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexico border plunged from a peak of 144,000 in May to just 42,000 in November, the lowest in more than 18 months. “The process that most immigrants without lawyers are going through, it’s not going to go anywhere,” Mr. Pascual Rodriguez had concluded. “If you don’t have a lawyer, you have fewer rights than a dog has in the United States.” Back in Juarez, the couple arranged to extend their rental. When they’d first arrived, they hadn’t wanted to spend more than a week in the city, but now it seemed bearable. Mr. Pascual Rodriguez’s first order of business was to look for work. He had given up hope of finding a professional job in Mexico and noticed a small plaza around the corner where a few stores were hiring. Ms. Benitez Oliva planned to spend the day at home, sharing the results of their court hearing with friends and family. It was not the outcome they’d been hoping for, and September was months away. But it was something. And now they realized they had gotten much further in the process than many others. “I don’t complain after seeing what people were going through,” Mr. Pascual Rodriguez said. “We’re not at the bad part. At least we have a date when this is going to be over.” Story continues below advertisement With a report from Luis Miranda Our Morning Update and Evening Update newsletters are written by Globe editors, giving you a concise summary of the day’s most important headlines. Sign up today.

Pima County officials expect to aid around 12,000 asylum seekers in the coming year, and are seeking more than $1 million in federal funding to "compensate" the county for the costs of a migrant shelter set up in an unused wing of the county's Juvenile Detention Center. The operating costs of the shelter are running about half of the monthly expense forecast in July, officials said. Pima County aided nearly 20,000 asylum-seekers in 2019 after they released by federal officials, and this has continued despite the implementation in Arizona of the Migrant Protection Protocols—a highly controversial program that requires Central Americans to wait for months in Mexico while their asylum status remains in limbo. In a memo to the Board of Supervisors, County Administrator Chuck Huckleberry said in 2019, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement released 15,014 people in Pima County, and Border Patrol released another 4,547 in the Tucson area. In July, Huckelberry had forecast that the county's support of the shelter could cost up to $100,000 each month — with a $1.5 million bill expected for 2020. The county had planned on federal funding to support that effort. But last week, Huckleberry announced that federal officials had denied the county's application to shift funding from Operation Stonegarden, a border-enforcement grant program managed by FEMA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol's parent agency. The current level of shelter operation is costing about $50,000 per month, the county administrator said. The decrease in expenses is mostly due to food service costs being significantly lower than the July projections, he told the supervisors. Asylum-seekers released to streets by feds As federal officials struggled with the increasing number of people seeking asylum in the United States, both ICE and Border Patrol began releasing people directly to the streets of border communities. The move prompted Yuma's mayor to declare an emergency in mid-April, and throughout the summer, both agencies continued to release large numbers of people, often with little notice to local officials and nonprofit aid organizations. In Tucson, a network of churches and nonprofits began setting up ad-hoc shelters, hosting asylum-seeking families in church sanctuaries and basements, and as the numbers increased, Catholic Community Services began using a former Benedictine monastery as a shelter in Midtown Tucson. However, by mid-June, it became clear that the aging monastery plumbing and infrastructure was not designed to handle the numbers of people, and CCS faced a looming deadline to leave the building by August, as part of deal made Ross Rulney, the developer who had purchased the property months earlier. The deadline prompted city and county officials to seek a new central shelter for asylum seekers, landing on a vacant section of the county's Juvenile Detention Center, which began operating as a shelter in August. In his memo, Huckleberry noted that the Benedictine Monastery had handled 7,915 people, while the new Casa Alitas facility at the Juvenile Detention Center has handled nearly 5,000 people since its opening in August. This was followed by Rincon Congregational Church United Church of Christ, which has helped around 1,000 people during the same period. In May, the number of people taken into custody by Border Patrol peaked at nearly 133,000 people, and of those nearly 73 percent were either families traveling with children, or children traveling without a parent or guardian—called "unaccompanied children" by federal officials. From Dec. 21, 2018 to August 12, 2019, ICE released 222,200 people to four "areas of responsibility" along the southwestern border—described by ICE as the San Diego, Phoenix, San Antonio and El Paso AORs. In the Phoenix area, which includes Tucson, ICE released around 41,600 people, said Yasmeen Pitts-O'Keefe, an ICE spokeswoman. Families released by either agency have legal status in the country, and can remain in the United States as they pursue their asylum claims after successfully convincing federal officials that they credibly fear returning to their home countries. Most are families from three Central American countries, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras and are fleeing violence and poverty, however, people from Venezuela, Cuba, and India have also successfully sought asylum. This has continued even as the Trump administration has moved aggressively to shutter the United States from asylum-seekers, largely by the implementation of the Migrant Protection Protocol. Originally announced as the Remain in Mexico policy in December 2018 by Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen—one of two DHS heads ousted as the president fulminated against the rising increase of asylum-seekers—the program immediately began sending asylum seekers back to Mexico, often to wait several months before their claims could be heard. In Arizona, federal officials have not implemented MPP to the neighboring border cities of San Luis, Nogales, or Agua Prieta, preferring instead to ship those claiming asylum to port cities across from either California or Texas, with the largest share of asylum-seekers waiting in frozen tent cities in Juarez, just across from El Paso, Texas. However, in late-November, CBP announced that it was "implementing" MPP for a group of Venezuelan asylum-seekers, who attempted to cross into Nogales, Ariz., in cars. That move was widely criticized by U.S. Reps. Raúl Grijalva and Ann Kirkpatrick. In a statement, Kirkpatrick said that she was "heartbroken to learn that the MPP will now be implemented in Tucson." "I believe it is morally wrong and violates domestic and international law," she said. "I wait anxiously for the Ninth Circuit ruling of whether or not MPP is legal, and in the meantime, my staff are working with local groups and making call to see if there is anything else we can do to fight this." She said that CBP officials told her the new policy was still "very fluid" and that the transportation of people from Tucson to El Paso "will depend on the amount of people who cross each day." Kirkpatrick said that women who are six months pregnant or more, families with children under a year, and people who are "physically vulnerable or disabled" will not be sent to El Paso. "The expansion of 'Remain in Mexico' will exacerbate the already dire conditions of vulnerable asylum-seeking families fleeing violence in their home countries,"said Grijalva. "This is yet another example of how the Trump-Stephen Miller anti-immigrant agenda is putting migrant families at risk and denying them the safety they so desperately need. We have a legal obligation under both national and international law to allow asylum seekers to pursue their cases in the United States. The expansion of this policy exposes them to more violence and makes a mockery of the asylum process as we know it." A report from Human Rights First said that there were 636 violent attacks on asylum seekers returned to Mexico, with close to half of those incidents coming in just the last two months. While numbers have fallen dramatically since the summer, federal officials are still taking people into custody. In November, Border Patrol said that around 33,500 people were picked up along the southwestern border, including about 9,000 people traveling as families and around 3,300 unaccompanied children. Meanwhile, in El Paso, CBP said this week that a pilot program for quickly processing asylum seekers had been green-lit. Beginning in October, CBP began the Prompt Asylum Claim Review, or PACR in October, as part of what federal officials called a "whole of government approach" to quickly fast-track the processing of migrant men and families, while maintaining "protections and due process." However, immigration lawyers and advocates have said the policy denies asylum-seekers due process, and restricts access to attorneys. ICE has released around 2,900 people from custody in the last two weeks of December, including around 1,050 in the Phoenix area. In the last seven days, the Phoenix area received around 430 people, just slightly behind the El Paso area, which received around 450 people, said Pitts-O'Keefe. 500 at Pima shelter in one Dec. week, Stonegarden shift denied Huckleberry said that "in one week alone," over 500 people came to the Casa Alitas shelter in December. Huckleberry said that the county expects to manage around 12,000 asylum seekers at the county's facility next year, and said that he would seek around $1 million in federal funding from the "second round" of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program, a federally-funded program managed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA. Last week, Huckleberry announced that federal officials had denied the county's application to funding from Operation Stonegarden, a border enforcement grant program managed by FEMA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol's parent agency. In his memo Monday, Huckleberry said it was "unfortunate" that U.S. Border Patrol and ICE did not approve the request, noting that the county's request for $200,000 "represented one percent of the total [Stonegarden] funding dedicated to border security." Previously, the county's Board of Supervisors accepted the controversial Stonegarden grant, specifying that $200,000 of the $1.2 million in federal funds must be directed to humanitarian efforts here, including a condition that the grant must include "indirect costs" spent on aiding asylum seekers in April and May. However, on Nov. 14, Arizona Department of Homeland Security officials rejected the plan, and Huckelberry sought an appeal to the decision, but as he wrote on December 26, "I have yet to receive a response to this request." "It is clear," Huckelberry wrote. that based on the response from the federal Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection that Operation Stonegarden funding is "poor and essentially nonexistent for local entities, perhaps other than the sheriff." The use of humanitarian aid from Stonegarden remained controversial over the summer. During a contentious meeting in July, members of the faith community and social-justice groups said that Stonegarden funding was "dirty money," arguing against the plan to use the county's juvenile detention center as shelter for migrants. Huckelberry estimated back in July that the county could spend in the area of $1.5 million on the shelter for asylum-seekers and other programs for migrants next year. County officials estimated in July that the county would spend about $94,500 per month to manage the facility, with another $57,000 on immediate costs to modify the building. The county spent about $400,000 on "standing up the new facility," Huckleberry wrote, and the county spends about $50,000 per month, which includes around $10,000 to $15,000 in "operational" or fixed costs at the building. Much of the difference is because Casa Alitas is not using all of the food services available at the detention center, he said. - 30 -

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What an encouraging way to help ring in the new year - with treasured land spared from unwanted development, and justice being served. Pendleton King Park has been saved. We’ll revisit the battle while we tell you more about the outcome. Augusta Circuit Superior Court Judge Ashley Wright approved a consent agreement that dissolves a trust established 100 years ago. The land involves two properties - a 15.78-acre site on Johns Road called Pendleton Camp, and the 64-acre park and bird sanctuary. It used to be the sprawling estate of Henry B. and Elizabeth King. When their mansion burned in 1912, they moved to a cottage on the estate. Their plan was for their son, Pendleton, to rebuild the mansion when he returned from World War I. But within weeks of returning to Augusta in 1919, Pendleton suffered a fatal brain aneurysm. Henry King later stipulated in his will that the land be set aside in a trust for two purposes: housing for World War I veterans and their families, and a park to honor his son “in perpetuity.” For decades, a park foundation and a board of three trustees oversaw the property’s improvements and preservation. But in 2018, two of those three trustees signed an agreement to sell the park to Winchester Homebuilders for $1.2 million to use to erect a 25-unit housing development. The park foundation countered with a $500,000 lien - an estimated value of hundreds of volunteer hours spent improving the park. District Attorney Natalie Paine also petitioned to stop the sale. Richmond County Probate Court Judge Harry B. James III granted the petition and installed members from both the park foundation and the preservation group Historic Augusta as new trustees. The consent agreement Wright approved late last year turns all property and other assets over to the Pendleton King Park Foundation. She ruled that the best way to cleave closest to King’s original wishes for the land would be to turn over the trusts' assets and property to the foundation. “But, Wright cautioned: ‘Any such conveyance shall contain a restriction ... that the park property shall only be used as a public park for the benefit of the general public and the citizens of Richmond County,’” The Augusta Chronicle’s Susan McCord reported last week. Apart from developers hoping to capitalize on the land deal, we can’t think of anyone else who would think that the park shouldn’t stay as a park. As Paine said last August when filing her petition to save the park, she said simply: “This is a good thing.” It certainly is. If you haven’t yet visited the park it’s your own fault. Not only does it contain a bird sanctuary, but visitors also can stroll the wetland boardwalks, enjoy a picturesque waterfall and even let their pets enjoy an onsite dog park. If you need a quiet spot to contemplate how the rest of 2020 is going to play out, we recommend Pendleton King Park. it won’t make problems vanish, but it should deservedly keep you away from your computer keyboard for a while.

Former Khmer Rouge member Ao An last week said he agreed with the national judges at the pre-trial chambers of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal that his charges should be dropped, which was contrary to the decision handed out by their international counterparts. The pre-trial chamber of the hybrid court was split in its decision on whether to uphold the indictment against Ao An, who was a regional deputy commander in the Khmer Rouge regime. The three national judges asked for the charges to be dropped and the two international judges called for the case to proceed to trial. The chamber was ruling on appeals filed in relation to contrary rulings made by the co-investigating judges in 2018, where again the national judge called for the case to be closed and the international judge ruled that the case should proceed to trial. In full: https://www.voacambodia.com/a/ao-an-ruling-leaves-khmer-rouge-tribunal-in-prolonged-uncertainty/5227207.html © 2020, All rights reserved.

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New Delhi: A building collapsed after a blast in a factory that caught fire Delhi’s Peera Garhi this morning, an official said. The fire department said they received a call around 4.23 am about a fire in the factory at Udoh Nagar area after which seven fire tenders were rushed to the spot, the official said. Later on, due to a blast, the building collapsed and people are trapped inside, including fire personnel, a senior fire official said. Total 35 fire tenders are working and the rescue operations are underway, he said.

New Delhi, Jan 2 (IANS) Several people including few fire fighters are reported to be trapped inside a factory at Udoh Nagar area of Peeragarhi, the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said here on Thursday. According to the DFS chief Atul Garg, “A call for fire in a factory was received at 4.23 a.m. on Thursday, accordingly, 7 fire tenders were sent to the spot. However the fire was followed by a sudden blast, due to which the building collapsed.” Garg added that when the building collapsed there were people inside it along with the fire fighters who are rescuing them. However, the number of people trapped inside the structure is not known yet. In total 35 fire tenders are currently on the spot as the rescue operation continues. –IANS rag/skp/

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Northland entrants to the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards will spend their summer preparing for the exacting task of being judged on all aspects of their business in late January and early February. While the entrants could be relaxing at the beach, this national competition continues to grow in popularity as a benchmark for farmers striving to be the best in their field. And it must be addictive because some entrants return more than once to better their chances. The Northland competition's organising committee is headed by regional managers Lesley and Brad Roberts, who won Share Farmers of the Year in 2015 and milk 900 cows at Riponui. Advertisement READ MORE: • Northland Dairy Industry Awards finalists named • Northland Dairy Industry Award winners swap office for farm • Northland Share Farmers of the Year reject office life • Northland couple crowned NZ Share Farmers of the Year Lesley Roberts says entering the competition changed their lives and they continue to be involved because of the great support of the community and sponsors. "The whole process is really rewarding,'' she says. "It's all about the education along the way. You get really good advice on how your business can be improved and there are great networking opportunities. "And if you are lucky enough to win, there are some amazing prizes,'' she says. She says the intense scrutiny of all aspects of the farming business means no weaknesses can be hidden. "If you say you are achieving something, you must be able to prove it and back it up with documentation." Northland's representatives have won the major title of Share Farmer of the Year for the past two years in a row. Advertisement It is a high accolade for the region and shows the dedication of the young farmers who are rising through the ranks. This year the robust nature of the competition has been proved with entrants to the Share Farmer of the Year category now able to have the body of work they prepare for the awards count towards modules in the New Zealand Diploma in Agribusiness Management. The Recognition of Prior Learning is a formal recognition of the knowledge and skills already gained through working in the industry. Roberts says this development will increase the value of participating in the awards process. The dairy trainee entrants all have interviews and are set practical tasks, while those in the dairy manager and share farmer competitions have to provide comprehensive presentations to impress judges on their farms over several hours. "The judging is all based on points. While they never see the points, the entrants do get extensive feedback that they can use to improve their farming business,'' Roberts says. "The judges are all quality operators. They have to be up to date with their knowledge as farming involves so much technology now,'' she says. The Dairy Industry Awards is split into three main competitions. The Dairy Trainee of the Year has judging between January 28 and 30 with finals on February 17; Dairy Manager of the Year and Share Farmer of the Year entrants have preliminary judging between February 3 and 5 with finals between February 18 and 20. This year there are 12 entrants in the dairy trainee section, and eight each in the dairy manager and share farmer competitions. The awards dinner is held at Semenoff Stadium on March 7 and tickets are on sale early next year. Winning award huge boost for couple Winning the national award for New Zealand Share Farmers of the Year has been a huge boost to Wellsford couple Colin and Isabella Beazley. Isabella says winning the 2019 title was "pretty awesome" and provided satisfaction in the acknowledgement of all of their hard work. The Beazleys, both aged 31, are 50/50 Sharemilkers for Neil Jones and Wendy Crow-Jones' 163ha Wellsford property. The couple had entered the awards twice before. "We had worked so hard for it so it was quite a journey. It meant so much on a whole lot of levels." The $52,000 prize package included free products and services as well as opportunities for free study. "I think the real value of the competition is the feedback on every aspect of our farm business from the judges who are all, in effect, professional farm advisers. "The advice we got has been so valuable, and we've been able to grow our business from milking 330 cows to 530 cows in a very short time," she said. Now team leaders for Northland in their category, the couple will be encouraging the new crop of entrants on their judging journey.

Early NFL trade deadline buzz: Will Mack, Maye and Ertz get moved? Is Carolina still not done? 8M Jeremy Fowler

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Related News The governorship candidate of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) in the 2019 election in Oyo State, Sharafadeen Alli, on Wednesday accused Governor Seyi Makinde of abandoning his party after it helped him to win the election. Mr Alli spoke through a statement he personally signed, a copy of which was made available to Premium Times in Ibadan, the state capital. ZLP was one of the political parties that formed an alliance with Mr Makinde’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to defeat the candidate of the then ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Adebayo Adelabu, in the March 9, 2019 election. Other parties in the coalition were the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP). The coalition was coordinated by a former governor of the state, Rashidi Ladoja. But, nine months after the agreement, Mr Alli accused the governor of failure to fulfil his promises to the ZLP. He said the governor has denied the ZLP political patronage, in alleged repudiation of the agreement between them. “A man’s word should also be his bond,” Mr Alli said. “The governor should go into retrospect and review our 2019 political coalition agreement. Our party, the ZLP had been largely abandoned and relegated in the scheme of things, especially political patronage. The governor should seize this moment and do the needful. I wish him the best as he pilots the affairs of our state.” While commending Mr Ladoja for being a father to all, Mr Alli also prayed that God grant all the traditional rulers in the state: the Alaafin of Oyo; Olubadan of Ibadan; Soun of Ogbomoso and others, more strength to guide their respective domains to continuous peaceful coexistence. Olufemi Lanlehin, the ADC gubernatorial candidate, had in November accused the governor of failing to fulfil any of the promises made to him as contained in an agreement they reached. Phone calls and text messages to Taiwo Adisa, the chief press secretary to Mr Makinde, were not responded to.

Our Reporter All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State says the people deserve optimal performance by the Governor Seyi Makinde administration. The party said this in Ibadan on Wednesday in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Dr AbdulAzeez Olatunde. The party, which felicitated with the people of the state for witnessing a new year, commended their courage, resilience and steadfastness in the outgone year. It urged Makinde to ensure fulfillment of his campaign promises and obey the rule of law for democracy to thrive in the state. The APC said: “Oyo State people do not deserve less than optimal performance in governance in the year 2020. “Our people should take more than passing interest in the governance of the state through the formulation and implementation of policy frameworks that affect their daily lives.” It reminded Makinde to “walk his talk” by fulfilling his campaign promises, saying Oyo workers deserved more than the national minimum wage of N30,000.

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Starting the decade as you mean to go on It’s here! Not only a whole new year, but a whole new decade! Ten years of new tech, new games, and new experiences. Who knows what changes 2020 onward will bring to our favourite pastime? Especially with a fresh generation of consoles waiting just in the wings. Exciting stuff. Every new year brings with it the promise of new beginnings. January 1 is, at the end of the day, just an arbitrary calendar marker – you can be whoever you want to be whenever you choose – but it’s as good a time as any to encourage positive change in oneself. Whatever your personal goals are for this coming decade, just take everything at your own pace and remember to enjoy the journey of self-discovery. Don’t beat yourself up if it takes a while, or if you stumble along the way. Have faith in yourself and I’m sure you’ll make progress. After all, I believe in you. In the spirit of ch-ch-changes, we’d love to hear of any gaming-related resolutions you have set for yourself. Personally, I really need to get on top of my procrastination, (I think the cool kids call it “Choice Paralysis”, bless ’em), which has cost me hours/days of time wasted. I want to spend less time hovering over libraries, and more time actually enjoying stuff. Just Press Play. How about you? Maybe you want to clear out your backlog, or spend less money on games altogether. Maybe you want to double down on a competitive title, start streaming, join an esports club, or play more Rainbow Six Siege? ( I mean, we’ve all set that one). Whatever your gaming goals for the coming year, or ten years for that matter, let us know below. Here’s hoping 2020 brings you much love, adventure, and happiness. Own your decade, friends.

“The machine-marked, voter-verifiable paper ballot caused us to have a legal, fair, and accurate election,” he said. In 2020, he said, “there’s not going to be a dispute. There may be light and heat, but at the end of the day, those ballots will be in people’s hands, and they can examine them. And they’re going to hold up.”