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Two weeks ago, on my travel blog , I explained why fear of coronavirus led to me cancelling a trip to France this summer. France doesn't have a coronavirus problem but I have a feeling it will-- we all will-- by summer. As you can see above, South Korea didn't have problem last week; but they sure do now-- a big surge in identified infections and a death of a man who has been hospitalized for more than 20 year. (In other words, medical professionals are failing to contain this in their own facilities. This is the updated advice we'd pass along to Bernie's campaign: Health Risk • This contagion runs far ahead of visible symptoms • It also hits older people much harder than younger people Health Precautions • Immediately reroute Bernie’s schedule away from rope lines and other hands, hugs and crowding • Quickly refocus national surrogates’ on-site activities away from locations with highest numbers of travellers from Asia, such as Bay Area, Los Angeles and San Diego, in favor of campaigning in South Carolina and Super Tuesday states’ rural areas, where the virus is unlikely to spread as quickly. Political Risk • Much worse than suspension of March 3 elections would be appearance that: (a) Berners had alleged political motives for suspensions, (b) which are later perceived to have been justified by public health precautions Rhetorical Contingencies Contagious new and stealthy viruses remind us that: • "Each one of us is easily infected by anybody in our community who faces financial barriers to getting check-ups and treatment, so Medicare For All is a necessary protection for all of us" • "Each country’s safety now depends on maintaining communication and cooperation with other countries, while minimizing disruption from mutual suspicion and hostility" • "We remember when news of the Soviet Union’s Sputnik satellite suddenly changed our national culture and catalyzed our development of new technologies and industries. In response to today’s sudden viral pandemic threat, and to the slower but surer threat of climate collapse, we need another change of culture, to resist these threats against all of our people, and all peoples."

According to a report from Politico, the White House has become gravely concerned that the so-far bumbling response to the coronavirus could have a long term effect on Donald Trump’s drive to remain in the White House beyond 2020. The report notes that “The Trump administration is bracing for a possible coronavirus outbreak in the United States that could sicken thousands — straining the government’s public health response and threatening an economic slowdown in the heat of President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign.” ADVERTISEMENT With two officials stating they believe that the “coronavirus is already spreading undetected” in the U.S., Politico also notes that the preside mt is attempting to downplay the threat in public at the same time that he is voicing major concern about how it might affect his political future. According to the report, Trump has been rebuking “public health leaders over last week’s decision to fly home 14 Americans who tested positive for the virus while aboard a cruise ship off Japan,” and worries that more carriers may come into the country. In an interview, Chris Meekins, a former Trump administration HHS emergency-preparedness official stated, “The biggest current threat to the president’s reelection is this thing getting out of control and creating a health and economic impact.” Politico goes on to report that despite assurances from HHS, the Trump White House is very concerned about how the department is responding. “But there has been tension within the Trump administration over the response so far. Four officials acknowledged that the process has hit bumps, with high-pressure debates over resources and planning occasionally reopening fault lines between the White House and HHS that first emerged over Trump’s broader health agenda,” the report notes. “Meanwhile, the White House remains worried about growing economic risks, with Chinese production plunging in recent weeks and U.S. companies like Apple and Walmart with significant investments in the country reporting they’re taking financial hits. Senior officials fear that a sustained outbreak could slow global markets and upend a strong U.S. economy that has been central to Trump’s political pitch.” ADVERTISEMENT “The administration’s fumbled evacuation of about 400 Americans from the marooned cruise ship brought into focus multiple gaps in preparedness, said four individuals with knowledge of the episode,” Politico added. You can read more here.

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Waiver allows all Pa. schools to provide free meals to children during coronavirus crisis Show Caption Hide Caption VIDEO: Coronavirus: 6 tips for staying healthy VIDEO: Coronavirus: 6 tips for staying healthy York Dispatch The Pennsylvania Department of Education said it has received waiver approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to allow schools to provide free meals to all children during the coronavirus crisis. At least one district in York County, Dover Area, has been approved for the waiver, and Northeastern plans to apply. This was more of a formality for Dover, as the district began feeding all students early on after “seeing a need in the district that went beyond the confines of eligibility requirements,” said district spokesman Brad Perkins. In that district, 45% of students are economically disadvantaged, and in Northeastern, that number is 36.6%, according to the state's Future Ready Index. Previously, schools that did not meet area-based free or reduced-price meal eligibility requirements were unable to offer free meals communitywide. At least 50% of children had to qualify for free and reduced-price lunch, based on school enrollment or U.S. Census data, in locations serving free meals. Enrollment for free and reduced-price lunch was under 40% for most York County districts in 2017, the last year of data from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, except for York City, which has had 100% enrollment since 2015, and Hanover Public, which was at 60.4% in 2017. Both Northeastern and Dover were between 30% and 40% in 2017. The new USDA waiver eases those requirements and helps ensure all children have access to food. More: York County hospitals preparing for potential staff shortage More: Wolf: Schools shuttered 'indefinitely' South Western also did not meet previous eligibility requirements, but officials had decided to provide free meals anyway and seek reimbursement later, said Assistant Superintendent Daniel Hartman. "We didn’t want the red tape to hold us back from providing lunches," he said. Hartman was unsure if the district had applied for the new waiver. “Schools and community organizations can now use recent and local economic data, including unemployment claims and business closures, to request approval from PDE to qualify as an open meal site,” Vonda Ramp, the Education Department's state director for child nutrition programs, said in a news release Monday. “Once approved, they can provide meals to all children in their community, age 18 and under, for free.” There are already approximately 1,600 food distribution sites across the state, which is expected to increase because of the waiver. Other districts such as West York Area, Central and West Shore already had summer meal programs that allowed them to serve meals communitywide regardless of economic status, so they have continued to do so. Now, thanks to new legislation that does not require children to be in the car to receive lunches, parents and guardians can come pick up their meals, West Shore spokeswoman Rhonda Fourhman said in an email. Students now are busy during the day doing schoolwork, as online learning for most began Monday. Gov. Tom Wolf has closed all schools "indefinitely" to help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. — Ron Musselman can be reached at rmusselman@yorkdispatch.com or via Twitter at @ronmusselman8

York County philanthropic groups develop COVID-19 response fund Show Caption Hide Caption VIDEO: Food bank opens drive-thru for virus safety The York County Food Bank modified its distribution program to include a drive-thru to minimize human contact during the Coronavirus pandemic. Bill Kalina, 717-505-5449/@BillKalina Several York County philanthropic groups have developed a COVID-19 response fund to support the nonprofit organizations working to assist the community during this time of pandemic. The $100,000 endowment was provided by the York County Community Foundation, which partnered with United Way of York County and other philanthropic groups to set up the response fund. Jane Conover, president and CEO of YCCF, said that by collaborating with several organizations, they are able to "strategically and rapidly" deploy collective resources to meet the immediate demands for basics such as food and housing. "As community needs evolve over the next months, we will adapt the grant-making focus as well,” Conover said in a news release. “The Community Foundation knows that in times of need, York Countians step up to support each other." More: York County up to 43 cases of COVID-19, Pa. has almost 3,400 with 38 deaths More: York County under stay-at-home order, state overflow facilities get ready More: Trump signs $2.2T stimulus after swift congressional votes More: Information on coronavirus and COVID-19 from the CDC While no grant applications are being accepted, recipients are being identified by surveying and engaging with nonprofit and government agencies that have responded to the effects of coronavirus. A community advisory committee will be formed to provide input on the priority needs and will include representatives from local agencies, health and human service sector experts and representatives from the community, according to the news release. "The York County COVID-19 Response Fund will initially focus on supporting nonprofit agencies with the greatest capacity to provide food and shelter to the most vulnerable residents," the release reads. Additional donations for the response fund are from the W. Dale Brougher Foundation, the Arthur J. & Lee R. Glatfelter Foundation, the Kinsley Foundation, the Powder Mill Foundation and the J. William Warehime Foundation. — Reach Tina Locurto at tlocurto@yorkdispatch.com or on Twitter at @tina_locurto.

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Success Nwogu, Abuja The Peoples Democratic Party on Wednesday urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct fresh elections in those constituencies in Imo State where PDP state lawmakers defected to the All Possible Congress. The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, during a media briefing in Abuja, also said the defected lawmakers had lost their seats according to Nigeria's constitution. He said, "It is settled under the 1999 Constitution (as amended), that a legislator who decamps from a party upon which he was elected a member of a legislative house automatically loses his or her membership of that house as the seat belongs to the political party upon which platform the election was won and not the individual. "The vacation of the seat, as a direct consequence of decamping to another political party other than the party upon which one was elected to occupy a seat in the legislature, is clear and unambiguous under section 109 (1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). READ ALSO: Coronavirus: FG shuts down Chinese supermarket in Abuja "For the avoidance of doubt, section 109 (1)(g) provides that “a member of the House of Assembly shall vacate his seat in the House if …(g) being a person whose election to the House of Assembly by a political party, he becomes a member of another political party before the expiration of the period for which that House was elected: "The Constitution went further to state “provided that his membership of the latter political party is not as a result of a division in the political party of which he was previously a member or of a merger of two or more political parties or factions by one of which he was previously sponsored.” "Consequent upon the above constitutional provisions, these defectors have vacated their seats, they no longer have a place in the state assembly, as there is no division or merger of any kind in the PDP at any level whatsoever. "The PDP is therefore left with no other option than to request the INEC to immediately commence the processes for the conduct of fresh elections into the respective state constituencies where the legislators have vacated their seats, in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution."

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday declared that its members in the Imo House of Assembly who recently announced their defection to the All Progressive Congress (APC) have lost their seats. Addressing a press conference at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja, its national spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, said their defection to the ruling party does not satisfy the provisions of the constitution. While noting that there was no division in the PDP or a merger with another political group, he said their exit from the party has created vacancies in their constituencies. The main opposition party, therefore, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to begin a process of conducting a fresh election to elect new representatives for the constituencies. He said where the electoral body fails to do the needful, the party would challenge the action in court. Details later.

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“Unfortunately, that better sense is not encouraging because we’re seeing community spread,” he said. “I think we’re getting a better sense (of the scope of the outbreak) as the days go by,” Anthony Fauci, the head of the infectious diseases unit at the National Institutes of Health, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” WASHINGTON — A top U.S. public health official said on Sunday signs of coronavirus spreading through communities were “not encouraging” and warned that Americans may need to think carefully about attending large gatherings if it continues. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content He encouraged those most at risk from coronavirus to limit travel. “If you’re a person with an underlying condition and you are particularly an elderly person with an underlying condition you need to think twice about getting on a plane, on a long trip, and not only think twice, just don’t get on a cruise ship,” Fauci said on “Meet the Press.” Fauci said that in addition to efforts to try to contain the spread of the virus, it was important to start thinking about how to mitigate the impact as more and more Americans fall ill. “They call it ‘social distancing,’ but it’s common sense stuff,” he said. “You don’t want to go to a massive gathering, particularly if you are a vulnerable individual.” (Reporting by Tim Ahmann; Writing by Lisa Shumaker; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)

Fauci: Coronavirus Spread In America ‘Not Encouraging’; Says Americans Should Avoid Large Gatherings, Especially If Vulnerable The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, recommended on Sunday that elderly and vulnerable Americans avoid travel and large crowds as coronavirus gains a foothold in the United States. In an interview with NBC‘s “Meet the Press,” Fauci emphasized that the elderly and people with “underlying conditions” are “overwhelmingly” more likely to be hit worse by coronavirus, according to NBC News. “If you are an elderly person with an underlying condition, if you get infected, the risk of getting into trouble is considerable. So it’s our responsibility to protect the vulnerable,” he said, adding “When I say protect, I mean right now. Not wait until things get worse. Say no large crowds, no long trips. And above all, don’t get on a cruise ship.“

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15-Jan-2020 Intellasia | KoreaTimes | 6:02 AM South Korean leader hints at seeking exemption from US sanctions President Moon Jae-in said during a New Year press conference at Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday, that he remains positive about the US-North Korea denuclearisation talks as the leaders of the two countries are still open for dialogue. The South Korean leader also cited the need to apply for a partial exemption to UN sanctions for more engagement with North Korea and to move the US-North Korea negotiations forward. Despite the deadlock between Pyongyang and Washington, Moon stressed a positive outlook, defying the mounting concerns that the past two years of talks between the two foes in the Korean War will ultimately fail to end North Korea’s nuclear programmes. “Regarding the South-North or North Korea-US talks, it is neither time to be optimistic or pessimistic,” Moons said. He acknowledged the controversy regarding US President Donald Trump’s birthday message to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. “When my national security adviser Chung Eui-yong visited the US for a Korea-US-Japan security meeting, President Trump called in Chung unannounced and asked him to deliver the birthday wishes. President Trump must have thought that this was not enough, so he also sent a letter to Kim,” Moon said. “I think this is a very positive development. It was a very good idea to stress the resolution for dialogue by sending the congratulatory message. Upon receiving the letter, North Korea also reiterated the close relationship between the two leaders and made it clear that it had not closed the door completely on dialogue, although it did attach a precondition that its demands must be met.” “At the time of the letter, the US was facing a lot of complex situations, including the conflict with Iran, and the fact Trump sent Kim a birthday message means that President Trump still regards North Korea as the most important issue on his diplomatic agenda.” The President repeated his stance on promoting active engagement with North Korea this year, which was contained in his New Year address delivered last week. In this regard, the South Korean leader mentioned the need to ease some of the UN sanctions imposed on the reclusive regime. “I believe we can make efforts for exceptions from UN sanctions if necessary,” Moon said. “Rather than looking just at US-North Korea talks, we should do as much as we can to expand inter-Korean cooperation. This will also be helpful in promoting US-North Korea dialogue.” He mentioned sports and tourism exchanges as well as starting cooperation at the inter-Korean border as some of the ways to expand inter-Korean cooperation within the boundaries of the sanctions. Moon called on the US to consider a different approach from its focus on sanctions. “The US needs to continuously seek new ideas, in close cooperation with South Korea, for a breakthrough in the US-North Korea talks,” the President said. He showed a negative response to criticism that his recent call for expediting engagement with North Korea was being snubbed by Pyongyang. “In inter-Korean diplomacy, there is much more than what is actually visible. “Inter-Korean relations are facing difficulties as they coincide with the stalemate in the North-US dialogue, but I am pushing forward with an optimistic view that efforts to work together through dialogue are continuing and can produce good results.” Korea-US alliance Concerns have been rising about the health of Korea-US alliance due to complex bilateral issues, such as the defense cost-sharing negotiations and the U.S pressure on Korea to join its naval mission in the Strait of Hormuz. Moon sought to assuage these concerns by underlining that the Korea-US alliance remains “stronger than ever with close communication and cooperation.” “Close communication and cooperation have led to the improvement of inter-Korean relations and resulted in US-North Korea dialogue,” Moon added. “Looking back at 2017 at the height of the crisis on the Korean Peninsula following Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile tests, I had three summits with President Trump and talked on the phone with him seven times. Through these, we came to a decision to postpone a joint Korea-US military exercise to pave the way for North Korea’s participation in the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games. After this, inter-Korean dialogue began, which led to the talks between North Korea and the US” Currently, the biggest issue between Korea and the US is the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) negotiations to determine Korea’s share of costs for maintaining US troops here and the possible dispatch of a Korean naval unit to the Strait of Hormuz to joining a US-led mission. “Regarding the Hormuz question, there are complex factors to be considered. We need to think about our alliance with the US as well as our relations with Iran. We will take all of these into consideration as we look for a realistic solution.” On the defense costs, Moon stressed the need for an “equitable share.” “This is the only way it will be approved by the people and the National Assembly,” he noted. https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2020/01/356_281934.html Category: Korea

Seoul, Jan 14 (IANS) South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Tuesday that it was premature to be pessimisic about the Korean peace process, pointing out the relatively good personal relationship between the leaders of North Korea and the US. In his New Year’s press conference at the presidential palace, he said: “I think we are not at the stage for now to be pessimistic about South-North dialogue and North Korea-US dialogue, although it’s not a stage be optimistic,” reports Yonhap News Agency. He mentioned US President Donald Trump’s birthday greetings to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un last week, which were sent in a personal letter, while concerns about Pyongyang’s provocations were running high. Moon called the letter, through which Trump emphasized his relationship with Kim once again, “very positive” and a “good idea”. “North Korea accepted it and immediately released a response. It stressed the relationship between the two leaders,” he said. Even if dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington was not active, Trump and Kim were maintaining mutual trust, with efforts for the resumption of talks under way, Moon said, adding that his government is continuing a push for expanding inter-Korean cooperation with an “optimistic prospect”. –IANS ksk/

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More than a day after it was reportedly agreed upon, the blockbuster three-team trade between the Red Sox, Dodgers and Twins still hasn’t been finalized. The hold-up apparently has to do with the medical record on right-handed pitcher Brusdar Graterol, who is being dealt to the Red Sox. The Athletic reported late Wednesday night that the trade — which will send Mookie Betts and David Price to the Dodgers — may be adjusted after further review of Graterol’s medicals. According to the report, the Red Sox view Graterol more as a reliever than a starter, and may ask for an additional player and/or money, either from the Dodgers or Twins to complete the trade. The 21-year-old Graterol missed more than two months last season due to a right shoulder impingement, but returned to make his big-league debut and he made 10 appearances for the Twins, all in relief. The hard-throwing Graterol has been projected as a top-of-the-rotation starter, but the Twins viewed him as a reliever. According to The Athletic’s report, the Red Sox “evidently agree that he is not suited for a 150- to 170-inning workload, at least not right away.” The review of medical records is commonly one of the final steps before a trade is made official. The Athletic’s report said the teams involved in this trade remain confident it will be completed. Alex Verdugo, the Dodgers outfielder who is the other player being dealt to the Red Sox, has been medically cleared, according to The Athletic. Verdugo missed the final two months of last season due to injuries sustained in his back and oblique.

The Minnesota Twins are pulling out of the blockbuster three-team deal that sent Mookie Betts and David Price to the Los Angeles Dodgers, per The Star Tribune’s LaVella E. Neal. The deal, which all three teams agreed to on Tuesday night, fell apart over Boston’s medical concerns regarding Twins pitcher Brusdar Graterol. The 21-year-old hurler would go to the Red Sox, along with Dodgers outfielder Alex Verdugo. In exchange, Minnesota would receive pitcher Kenta Maeda from the Dodgers. Graterol underwent Tommy John surgery in 2016 and missed significant time in 2019 with a right shoulder impingement. However, Graterol’s agent Scott Boras revealed that multiple orthopedic doctors confirmed there are no long-term issues with his arm. Boston’s front office started seeking another top-10 prospect from the Twins to complete the deal. While the Twins were comfortable dealing Graterol to land Maeda, the front office ultimately determined adding another prospect was unreasonable and is now pulling out of the deal. The teams faced pressure from the MLB Players’ Association to find a resolution to the deal after dragging players through days of uncertainty regarding their futures. Spring training is just days away, which will likely add further pressure to the Dodgers and Red Sox to make the deal work. Whether it’s finding a new third team or making things work themselves, both sides are reportedly trying to find a solution. For now, however, Betts and Price remain members of the Red Sox.

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United Way of Greater Stark County has launched a fundraising campaign to assist those who have been harmed financially by the COVID-19 crisis. Funds donated to the COVID-19 Impact Fund will help hourly, low-wage workers who have lost their jobs or have reduced hours because of the pandemic. "We know that all of us depend on each other for a healthy community. The same priority guides our concern for those most economically vulnerable in this pandemic," said Maria Heege, president and CEO of United Way of Greater Stark County. "Our community is facing unprecedented times, and many families need your help. United Way has established the COVID-19 Impact Fund, a dedicated resource for working families affected by the COVID-19 public health emergency. We are committed to mobilizing 100% of the collected funds to provide financial assistance to help meet families' basic needs during the COVID-19 crisis. Together, we will weather this storm." Those who need assistance may be eligible to receive one-time assistance with their rent or mortgage payment. To apply, visit uwstark.org/covid or call 330-491-9960. Support will be given to those meeting the eligibility requirements and until funding is exhausted. Donations may be made at uwstark.org/covid, or by texting STARK to 50503. Message and data rates might apply.

Two high school friends reconnect after one loses his job and get together to create the best, coolest, most trending new app to help shy people connect. Along the way, they learn a lot about themselves, each other, and life. Written and directed by Eli Batalion, Appiness is a comedy that is rooted in something a lot of millennials (and others) will connect with, that need to find what it is you really want to do in life while trying to survive and make a living. It’s an apt film for the current state of young adult life, showing that some are forced to go back to their parents and some just don’t know what to do with themselves anymore. Here there are also a lot of other easily identifiable current trends and obvious things in here from the app building to the Ted Talk-like things, the social media, the programmers Olympics to the quirky fashion, the nerdy talk, the introverts being pushed around. It’s a lot of clichés and it does some good with them and goes in some of the obvious directions with others. The stories crams as many bits and pieces of what it’s like to live within a phone and social media obsessed world. It works for most of the film, but the story does feel a bit thin and predictable at times, something that’s too bad considering the feel of the film as a whole works pretty well for it. The moods established are fitting to the different parts of the film, even the in-your-face ones. The film has a story that works overall, but doesn’t feel particularly original. The cast here is decent in how they each handle their parts, none are grating, but none really come up on top of the pile. It feels a bit middle of the road while being entirely ok. There’s plenty talent here but it all feels like it’s just there, like everyone is playing some kind of hipster as they expect them to be. They all work well together, but it feels like something is missing, with most of them looking like they are doing some version of people, people that don’t feel 100% real. Which is too bad considering they all seem to have talent, it’s just not feeling like it’s all directed in the right way maybe. Or perhaps, it’s the type of characters they had, all feeling like that one co-worker you don’t really like, that college buddy you’re glad is gone, or that barista with the sense of humor that doesn’t quite click. The look of the film works with the story and feel of things, it adds to the quirkiness and the oddity of the story. It kind of works for it and kind of just adds to the things that may work against it for some. Appiness is a film that will either work or not at all for each viewer with everything feeling a bit extra quirky, a bit extra hipster. The comedy works at times and some of the characters are just a bit less like the others, which helps the film move along. Something about it just didn’t work for this viewer while still not being bored or too annoyed, it was not super engaging or entertaining.

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For a franchise known for its linebackers and running backs, the Chicago Bears have a rich legacy of kick returners in their 100-year history. From George McAfee to Gale Sayers to Walter Payton to Jerry Azumah to Danieal Manning to Devin Hester, there is no NFL team with a richer history of kick returners. Cordarrelle Patterson is the latest in a long line of successful kick returners in Chicago. But Patterson doesn’t consider himself up there with two of the greatest returners of all-time: Hester or Sayers. “It’s a blessing, but I’m just trying to do my job,” Patterson said. “I would never be as great as Devin Hester or Gale Sayers. I just try to do my job each and every day, and it’s just an honor to play on the same field those guys played on.” Hester and Sayers are two of the best returners in NFL history — and Hester is the greatest ever. But still, Patterson’s career as a kick returner isn’t something to turn your head at. Patterson, who has earned three Pro Bowl nods, ranks second all-time with a 29.9-yard kickoff return average. He has seven career kick return touchdowns, which is the third most in NFL history, just one behind co-leaders Leon Washington and Josh Cribbs. Patterson was one of the few bright spots in the Bears’ disappointing 2019 season. In his first year in Chicago, Patterson finished second in the NFL with a 29.5-yard average on 28 kickoff returns, one of which was a 102-yard touchdown against the Saints. He also led the league with 825 kick-return yards.

Bears wide receiver/kick returner/running back/gunner Cordarrelle Patterson was named to the Associated Press All-Pro team as a kick returner — his fifth selection in seven NFL seasons and third first-team honor. Patterson was second in the NFL in kick returns with a 29.5-yard average. His 102-yard return for a touchdown against the Saints on Oct. 20 was the seventh of his career — the third most in NFL history behind Josh Cribbs and Leon Washington (eight). Patterson’s 29.9-yard career average on kick returns is second on the all-time list behind Bears Hall of Famer Gale Sayers (30.6). Adding to his impressive 2019 resume, Patterson also was named to the Pro Bowl team as a specialist for his outstanding work as a gunner on coverage teams. Patterson was the only Bears player to make the All-Pro team. They had five players selected last year when they went 12-4 and won the NFC North.

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PADANG BESAR, March 15 — A total of 16 Myanmar nationals comprising 11 men, four women and a six-year-old girl were detained in two separate locations here yesterday. General Operations Force North Brigade commander SAC Abdul Ghani Mohamad Ji said the first group of five men, two women and the girl were arrested near the Malaysia-Thailand border at about 3.15pm. He said the second arrest was made near the railway track on the Malaysia-Thailand border involving six men and two women at 6.30pm. “The illegal immigrants, aged between six and 45, failed to produce valid travel documents,” he said in a statement here today. Meanwhile, the GOF also seized 15 sacks of ketum leaves weighing 350 kg worth RM10,500 in a raid on an unnumbered empty house at Kampung Kolam near here on Friday. — Bernama

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Jamaica Money Market Brokers (JMMB) is projecting that its 2019 financials, when completed, will represent the strongest in its history with significant performance attributed to organic and inorganic growth. So far, JMMB Group earned record profits for the nine-month reporting period ended December 31, 2019, with operating profits of J$5.79 billion, representing a 43 per cent increase over the prior year. In addition to this performance, the company recorded significant achievements during the third quarter, resulting from the execution of its regionally integrated financial services strategy. These include the successful execution of the acquisition of 22.5 per cent of Sagicor Financial Company Limited (SFC), the opening of JMMB Express Finance (T&T) Limited, the group's consumer finance business line, fifth location (Tobago), on December 4, 2019. During that period, JMMB successfully introduced its Visa debit card as well as Visa-enabled ATMs in Jamaica and the migration of clients who held Save Smart accounts at JMMB Investments to JMMB Bank's (Jamaica) EzAccess chequing and savings accounts. In its just-released unaudited financial results for the nine-month reporting period JMMB pointed out that the SCF acquisition gave the group diversification and the opportunity to participate in the future growth of a market leader in the Caribbean's insurance, pension, and asset management sectors. The acquisition, which cost approximately J$34.4 billion, was not completed at the reporting date with the financial results of SFC as of December 31, 2019, not yet available. JMMB's share of net assets and share of profits or gains arising on this acquisition will be reflected when the purchase price allocation is finalised, which is expected before March 31, 2020. Another significant milestone during the period under review was JMMB's first additional public share offering, the largest of its kind in Jamaica, which raised J$12.4 billion. This funding strengthens the group's capital base and will be used to further facilitate the group's expansion and diversification strategy through acquisitions and adding new business lines. UPCOMING FOURTH QUARTER The directors report that the upcoming fourth quarter January-March 2020 “will see a sharp focus on embedding our financial partnership model to better serve our clients and reap synergy benefits from operating from a “One Group, One Client, One Experience framework.” In his report Chief Executive Officer Keith Duncan pointed to another imperative for the fourth quarter, which is completing crucial operational efficiency projects to allow the banking business lines to operate on one core banking system while utilising standardised products, procedures, and policies across the group. “Deepening our inorganic growth strategy as we explore accretive business development opportunities to grow our return on equity and expand our footprint,” Duncan reported. FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE Net operating revenue for the period under review totalled J$17.38 billion, which represented a 26% growth or J$3.61 billion when compared to the comparable period last year. This mainly resulted from increases in net gains on securities trading, FX trading gains, fees and previous income and net interest income. Net gains on securities trading grew by 69% to J$5.64 billion and were partly due to improved appetite for emerging-market assets. Foreign exchange trading gains increased by 19 per cent or J$359.28 million to J$2.26 billion because of increased trading volume and growth in regional markets. Fees and commission income was 32 per cent higher at J$2.43 billion and was due to significant growth in managed funds and collective investment schemes across the group. Net interest income grew by 5 per cent to J$7.02 billion as there was strong growth in the loan and investment portfolios.

Earnings per share (EPS) grew to 32 fils last year from 18 fils in 2018, according to a bourse statement on Monday. The growing annual profits are largely attributed to a higher net income from investment by KWD 10.03 million due to the improving national and international equity markets. Over the fourth quarter (Q4) of last year, the investment firm achieved profits worth KWD 6.76 million, against KWD 1.68 million worth of losses in the same quarter in 2018. During its recent meeting, the company’s board recommended a cash dividend distribution of KWD 8.21 million or 15 fils per share for 2019, representing 15% of the share’s nominal value. In the first nine-month period of 2019, the company's net profits retreated to KWD 10.736 million from KWD 11.538 million, with a 6.95% annual drop.

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The Need for Enhanced Risk-Based Information Security Policies with a Remote Workforce For some time, government agencies such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have recognized that a “one size fits all approach” is not practical from an information security standpoint. Instead, companies were encouraged to take a risk-based approach and develop information security policies that were aligned within the context of their business operations. As a result, while both an international public company, with a large distributed workforce and offices across the globe, and a smaller company with one or two offices and a limited number of employees, were expected to have adequate information security in place, the determination of what was considered adequate was significantly different because their risk profiles were very different. However, one of the impacts of COVID-19 is that businesses are now operating with most, if not all, of their staff operating from home. This changes the information security risk profiles for many organizations. As a result, companies of all sizes should review their existing information policies and procedures to verify that they address the additional risks associated with what are essentially numerous satellite offices. In addition, they should continue to keep abreast of cybersecurity developments as there are reports that criminals and nation states are attempting to take advantage of the new entry points into organizations through the distributed workforces. Here are some measures to consider: Putting enhanced security features, such as multi-factor identification and encryption, into place; Updating policies and training associated with personal and sensitive data for remote workers. (In the interim, it might be helpful to send all employees this useful link from NIST.); Reviewing cybersecurity insurance policies to ensure that coverage applies to remote operations and whether limits are adequate; Building redundancy into authorizations for money transfers, so as to counter increasingly sophisticated spear phishing efforts targeting finance departments; and Updating (or developing) the company’s incident response plan in the event of a cyber incident, as in such matters every minute counts, and notification and coordination will get more challenging with a distributed workforce (and advisors). Another benefit to updating information security policies and procedures is that it may provide additional legal protections in the event of a data breach. For example, a recent Ohio law provides safe harbor from the state’s data breach provisions for companies that have implemented cybersecurity measures that conform with recognized information security frameworks: many of which provide for a risk-based approach. If you have any questions about this topic, please contact Kevin Pomfret. Please note: This alert contains general, condensed summaries of actual legal matters, statutes and opinions for information purposes. It is not meant to be and should not be construed as legal advice. Readers with particular needs on specific issues should retain the services of competent counsel. Please click here for additional legal updates from Williams Mullen regarding COVID-19.

We are still in the early stages of dealing with COVID-19. Yet, it is already clear that this new will have long-lasting effects on the global economy, how we deal with pandemics, and perhaps even the architecture of international aid. This is because the COVID-19 pandemic is putting the spotlight on one of the less-noticed distortions of the international aid system: It does exactly the opposite of what the evidence requires. To understand why, we need to distinguish between two kinds of aid. Traditional country lending seeks to improve outcomes in individual developing countries, while financing of global public goods (GPGs) aims to improve global welfare. The latter includes the development of technologies to promote agricultural productivity, actions to prevent climate change and mitigate its impact, knowledge creation, information provision, and, of course, preventing and dealing with pandemics. Donors, therefore, need to decide how to allocate their funds between these two types of aid. Clearly, this decision should be informed by research regarding the relative effectiveness of country lending and financing of GPGs. The evidence concerning country lending is highly contested, with diehard aid sceptics in the tradition of Lord Peter Bauer, Milton Friedman, Angus Deaton, and Bill Easterly opposed by equally strong advocates such as Jeffrey D Sachs, Bill Gates, and Bono. A fair reading of the evidence would be that even if aid scepticism is overdone, it is hard to find compelling evidence that country lending has substantial long-term benefits. (This is also the conclusion that Raghuram G Rajan and I reached in a series of papers on the impact of aid). On the other hand, financing GPGs is incontrovertibly beneficial. For example, the activities that led to the Green Revolution — not only the initial discoveries but also their subsequent adaptation by a network of publicly funded agricultural research institutes around the world — yielded substantial global returns. So did the eradication of smallpox. The financing of advance market commitments that guarantee returns for pharmaceutical companies making important medical discoveries — an idea associated with the Nobel laureate economist Michael Kremer — is another example of an invaluable GPG. But despite the clear balance of evidence, an overwhelming proportion of aid is devoted to country lending, with only a fraction allocated to financing GPGs. Although there are no definitive estimates, Scott Morris at the Center for Global Development says that only 15-25 per cent of the World Bank’s overall lending portfolio is devoted to GPGs. And even on a generous interpretation of what constitutes a GPG, that share would rise to only 35 per cent. Moreover, this proportion is even smaller in the case of the world’s poorest countries: The International Development Association, the World Bank’s concessional-lending arm, directs only 11 per cent of its funding to regional and global public goods. What about other major donors? We do not know the share of funding that private philanthropies such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which have become important international players, allocate to GPGs. But we do know that the most significant recent entrant to the aid-giving club — China — is devoting almost all its resources under the Belt and Road initiative to financing infrastructure in borrowing countries, and not to GPGs. It is not difficult to understand why the allocation of international aid is so skewed in favour of country lending. This is a conspiracy in which there are perpetrators but no apparent crime. For starters, donors love to wield the power that comes with lending directly to developing countries and dictating priorities aligned with their own preferences. And recipient governments are equally complicit; after all, more cheap financing means more spending, which is always helpful to political incumbents. By contrast, the gains from financing GPGs are nebulous, distant, and not clearly traceable to donor actions. For borrowing governments, too, the choice between cheap cash today and uncertain benefits down the line is a no-brainer. These distortions have always been a problem. But as the COVID-19 pandemic has made abundantly clear, the need for GPGs is proliferating, and private markets will by definition not finance them. To get a sense of the magnitude of resources required, consider the recent estimate by Princeton University’s Ashoka Mody that Italy will need about $600-800 billion in external assistance to help it respond to its calamity. And this is just the amount needed to combat one global public “bad” at one point in time in one relatively rich country. In a world of infinite resources and unbridled goodwill and generosity, donors could always ramp up financing of GPGs without reducing country lending. But in the real world, the envelope for giving is shrinking — meaning that distorted allocation incentives will have serious consequences. The message for the international donor community — not just traditional lenders such as the World Bank, but also emerging actors such as private foundations and China — is clear. The aid architecture needs a radical revamp so that massive amounts of money, possibly hundreds of billions of dollars annually, can be devoted to global public goods. And some of this will have to be financed by reducing existing country lending. By bringing practice into line with the evidence, the world could start addressing the massive challenges of the future in a serious way. Like today’s COVID-19 pandemic, these challenges will be devastatingly contemptuous of national borders and nativist governments. ©Project Syndicate, 2020

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After being sentenced to 40 months in prison, former Trump associate Roger Stone told "Axios on HBO" that his only fear in life is "not being right with God." "I feel pretty good because I've taken Jesus Christ as my personal savior," Stone said in his first on-camera interview since his sentencing. "And it's given me enormous strength and solace, because he knows what's in my heart." The seasoned Republican strategist also discussed his view of President Trump's faith. Trump has overwhelming support from evangelical Christians — a key GOP voting block — despite his past personal life. Stone cited Trump's Supreme Court nominations as an example of where he's "kept faith with those voters." "Christians believe deeply in redemption," Stone said. "So it's not whether you've sinned. ... It's what's in your heart today — where you stand with God today." "I think Trump has been forgiven for anything he did wrong. I think we all have. And I think he's a different person. I think he is steadfast in his faith. I don't think he could do this job if he was not." The big picture: Stone, 67, was indicted as a result of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, and is free during consideration of a motion he filed for a new trial.

Former Trump associate Roger Stone said in an interview with "Axios on HBO" that he is still proud of his efforts to elect President Trump, but stopped short of sharing any regrets on the matter due to a court gag order. Stone, who wasn't on the Trump's campaign payroll, said in his first on-camera interview since his sentencing last month: "One does not have to be on a campaign staff ... given the modern miracle of social media and the ability to communicate." The big picture: Stone was sentenced to 40 months in prison in February, after being found guilty of charges resulting from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into the 2016 election. Stone said repeatedly in the interview that Donald Trump is Donald Trump's best strategist. Stone declined to comment on looming questions surrounding his efforts — including whether Trump will pardon him — due to a gag order preventing him from discussing the case. "I'm not going to discuss anything that pertains to this case, [or] that could be inferred to pertain to the case," Stone said. Stone is free during consideration of a motion he has filed for a new trial.

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by Senator Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. The diagnosis comes as the Senate prepares to move forward on a massive coronavirus stimulus aid package aimed at alleviating the economic impact of the outbreak. Several Republican lawmakers announced on Sunday they would self-quarantine as a result of Paul’s diagnosis. Sergio Gor, Paul’s deputy chief of staff, said the senator “decided to get tested after attending an event where two individuals subsequently tested positive for COVID-19, even though he wasn’t aware of any direct contact with either one of them.” Paul is in a higher risk category after having part of his lung removed last year after it was damaged in a 2017 assault by his neighbor.

Utah Senator Mitt Romney announced on Sunday that he would self-quarantine after fellow Senator Rand Paul announced he had tested positive for COVID-19. What does President Trump think of that? “‘Gee, that’s too bad.’” When asked by a reporter at the White House briefing Sunday if he was being sarcastic, the president denied it. Watch the full exchange and judge for yourself:

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New Delhi, Jan 22 (IANS) A video shared by veteran Bollywood actor Anupam Kher about buying a wig has invited jokes, memes and sarcasm on Twitter. In the clip, the actor is heard telling the shopkeeper that strong winds blew away his wig and thus he needed a new one. “Entered a shop, which had hundreds of wigs. Told the salesperson that my wig flew off in the strong winds. I need a new wig. Tried out various wigs. And this is what I finally bought. I have always wanted to do this gag. Just for the fun of it.” #DilToBachchaHaiJi #JaiHo””, Kher wrote. His tweet went viral as netizens lapped it up. A user of the micro-blogging site tweeted, “Sir u r better off without the wig and best without politics.” “Love u sir….wig or without wig,” wrote another. A fan gushed, “I love You the way you are. It is difficult to find proper shape of head like you have.” A Tweeple remarked, “Your expressions recording yourself is priceless! There is that sneaky, kiddish prankster look that even great actors like yourself cannot act it out with that precision! #DilToBachchaHaiJi #PhirBhiDilHaiHindustani.” –IANS saurav/adr/pcj

Veteran actor Anupam Kher has recently come up with an alternative to curb the infection of coronavirus. Read on to know what he has to say on the entire matter. The fear of coronavirus has gripped the entire world including India and the worst part is that it is still on the rise. Moreover, there have been confirmed cases in our country too which has further increased everyone’s worries. In the midst of all this, numerous countries have adopted measures to curb the infections from spreading to more people. Regular checks have been conducted on airports and public gatherings have been banned in many countries as precautionary measures. Moreover, people have started avoiding kisses and handshakes to avoid infections. In the midst of all this, veteran actor Anupam Kher has come up with an alternative for everyone. In a recent video which he has posted on Twitter, the actor says that Indian people should adopt the age-old practice of greeting each other with a ‘namaste’ which is hygienic, friendly and centers energies too. According to him, this will also avoid any kind of infection. The video has now become viral on social media. Check out Anupam Kher’s tweet below: Of late I am being told by lots of people to keep washing hands to prevent any kind of infection. I do that in any case. But also want to suggest the age old Indian way of greeting people called #Namaste. It is hygienic, friendly & centres your energies. Try it. #caronavirus pic.twitter.com/ix7e6S8Abp — Anupam Kher (AnupamPKher) March 3, 2020 Some of the Bollywood celebs are known to be quite vocal when it comes to expressing opinions related to political issues, present scenarios in the country and many other burning topics. Anupam Kher is someone who comes under this category. The actor has previously opined his views on Twitter regarding other matters. Another veteran actor, recently expressed his disappointment on social media when the Delhi High Court stayed the execution of Nirbhaya gang-rape victims. (ALSO READ: Anupam Kher dedicates an emotional song to all the 'baldies in the world' crooned by him; Watch) Credits :Twitter Read More

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Bollywood’s most celebrated event, the Filmfare Awards, were this year taken to Facebook and Instagram by Facebook and Worldwide Media , India’s leading lifestyle and entertainment content company, making the viewing experience interactive for fans across the globe.For the first time, the awards show was simultaneously telecast on Facebook and television. And there was more: People around the world also got redcarpet highlights, backstage footage and special moments – all exclusively on Facebook and Instagram.Viewers virtually joined the presenters, nominees and the stars for an unforgettable experience on Filmfare’s official page. Things got even more exciting when popular creators like Teen Tigada (Sameeksha , Vishal, Bhavin) and Kritika and Deeksha Khurana (The Khurana Sisters) , set the red carpet on fire with their fun video with Bollywood stars , raking in over 10 million views within the first 24 hours, while fans from everywhere generated more than 240K interactions from across the globe. With 17 million views and still counting for the recently-held awards show, Filmfare fever continues on Facebook and Instagram.“Films are a cultural phenomenon in India and bring us together. No wonder some of the vibrant communities and conversations on Facebook and Instagram are around films! Our partnership with Filmfare is really exciting as it gives us a chance to bring some really fun and exclusive videos and photos for people on our platforms,” said Manish Chopra, director and head of partnerships, Facebook India Speaking about WWM and Facebook’s strategic partnership, Deepak Lamba , CEO, Worldwide Media, said, “While Filmfare Awards has always maintained its market leadership in terms of massive reach via TV, digital and the TOI group’s extensive coverage, this was for the first time that we connected with our audiences in a never-before manner. Facebook aided us in building a large community of Bollywood buffs who would not only engage with the content, but also with each other at a matching interest level.”There’s more to follow in this year. The glitz and glamour, #FilmfareOnFB, will continue to entice movie buffs as they will get to relive iconic Filmfare moments from previous years on the official “All Things Filmfare” group.What’s more, going forward, there will be year-round Filmfare magic with the upcoming editions of Filmfare awards in South, Marathi, Punjabi, East and the Filmfare Glamour & Style Awards.

A liquor store in India is usually off-limits for women. The question 'log kya kahenge' haunts women the moment they even think of stepping into a liquor shop. Of course, the bucketload of judgement and the prying eyes of the shopkeeper himself are added bonuses. *smh* Liquor stores across the country may have moved from shady corners to upscale malls, but it’s still not the most comfortable space for a woman to browse through aisles looking for that perfect drink. Raised eyebrows are the norm in most liquor stores when it comes to women stepping into them. Source/TOI To see a woman asking a bottle of whiskey off the counter is a big shocker for people at the store. But it's 2020 for crying out loud and it's time to make peace with the fact that women also drink! It seems like the government in Madhya Pradesh is paving the way forward for this progressive outlook. For the first time, the state is set to introduce women-friendly liquor shops in some cities to make women have a comfortable time liquor shopping, reports TOI. Don't Miss 52.7 K SHARES 18.6 K SHARES 8.1 K SHARES 14.5 K SHARES 6.6 K SHARES Facebook The report states that two stores dedicated to women will be opened in Bhopal and Indore, Gwalior and Jabalpur will have one women-friendly theka each. Special care will be taken to ensure that these outlets are stocked up with high-end foreign liquor brands that are loved by women. The local brands that are not registered with the state won’t find a place in the store. “No additional duty would be claimed on these foreign liquor brands as they will be brought after paying the duty from other countries. These shops would open markets for the sale of expensive liquor in the state,” a government official told TOI. The shops would have foreign liquor brands that were previously never sold in the state. In order to generate revenue, and apart from this, the state will organise wine festivals in cities like Indore, Bhopal and Gwalior.

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A man protesting over the death of his 16-year-old daughter, who allegedly committed suicide, was purportedly kicked by a policeman after he tried to stop police personnel from taking her body inside the mortuary of a state-run hospital near here, police said on Wednesday. Earlier, tension prevailed when some students and others forcibly took the teenager's body from the mortuary towards the private institute where she studied to hold a protest after her family members and relatives accused the college management of negligence for her death, sources said. Police, who managed to stop the group, brought the body that was kept inside a mortuary freezer box back to the hospital, even as a video purportedly showing a policeman kicking the girl's father, who attempted to stop police from shifting the body, has gone viral. The girl's parents had earlier blamed the college management of negligence leading to her death and had demanded compensation from them, police said. Following the incident, the Sangareddy district police "attached" the policeman to the headquarters and ordered a departmental inquiry. According to a senior police official,the girl, an Intermediate first-year student, had committed suicide by hanging herself in the bathroom of the institute's hostel on Tuesday afternoon after bolting the door from inside. She was taken to a nearby private hospital where she was declared brought dead and later her body was shifted from the private hospital to the state-run hospital at Patancheru for conducting post-mortem, the official said. Meanwhile, the parents of the girl accused the college management of negligence as according to them their daughter was ill for the past four days. The parents alleged that they did not inform them about her sickness and she was not given proper treatment by them nor was she sent home as exams were approaching forcing her to resort to the extreme step, the official said. Based on the complaint, a case under IPC section 304A (causing death by negligence) was registered against the private college management on Tuesday. On Wednesday, about 10-15 students affiliated to a Left-wing students organisation and others barged into the hospital, police said. They pushed aside doctors and medical staff and allegedly broke the window panes of the hospital and brought out the freezer box containing the body and proceeded towards the institute but police stopped them. Police were proceeding to the mortuary when the girl's father fell down before the freezer box to stop the police from shifting the body inside the hospital when this unfortunate incident (of the man getting kicked by the policeman) happened, the official said. The official further said the police were trying to prevent the agitators from taking the law into their own hands at the mortuary. After examination of the video, action has been initiated against the "erring" policeman by attaching him to the headquarters, which is being followed up by departmental inquiry, he said. A case has been registered onchargesof unlawful assembly, obstructing public servant from discharge of his duty and vandalism under relevant IPC sections in connection with shifting of the body besides taking some protesters into preventive custody, the official added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

A person who arrived here from Guwahati has tested positive for swine flu, officials said on Wednesday. The individual arrived at the Imphal airport on Tuesday afternoon and was sent for tests as he showed coronavirus-like symptoms, they said. After tests, it was found that he has swine flu, officials said, without divulging further details. The state government has set up six centres at different entry points of Manipur in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Sizzling up our social media feeds early Wednesday afternoon, the makers of Remo D’Souza-directorial Street Dancer 3D, dropped the new remake song, Lagdi Lahore Di, starring actors Shraddha Kapoor, Varun Dhawan and Nora Fatehi. Grooving sensuously to express their crush, Shraddha, Varun and Nora’s energy is exactly the pump we need this mid-week. Sung by Guru Randhawa and Tulsi Kumar, the song is a remake of the original song, Lahore, which was penned, sung and composed by the Punjabi sensational singer. While the new composition is credited to Sachin-Jigar and Guru Randhawa, the choreography is by Kruti Mahesh and Rahul Shetty (RnP). The video song opens to Varun fumbling while confessing his crush to Shraddha. Breaking into an effortless dance to better express his feelings, he is joined by Shraddha who, being from the opponent team, is not impressed easily while Nora aids her friend in conveying his romantic emotions. The video ends with Shraddha and Varun kissing. Watch the full song, Lagdi Lahore Di here: Giving remakes a high octane twist is what Remo D’Souza’s Street Dancer 3D seems to be all about what with the revamped Muqabla song and then Illegal Weapon 2.0 highlighting lead pair Shraddha Kapoor and Varun Dhawan’s dance face-off. Hyping fans to “get ready to groove”, the stars had promised to drop the new track on Wednesday. Taking to their respective Instagram handles, Shraddha and Varun had shared the video featuring them in each other’s arms. While Varun declared Shraddha to be resembling a lady from Lahore, she connected him with a guy from Punjab. The movie revolves around a dance battle where Shraddha Kapoor represents the leader of the Pakistani dance team whereas Varun Dhawan is seen representing the Indian team. Touted to be India’s biggest dance film, the Remo D’Souza-directorial is bankrolled by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar and Lizelle D’Souza. The actor and dancer Nora Fatehi is also an important part of Street Dancer 3D. Other actors and dancers who are going to be a part of the film are Aparshakti Khurrana, Raghav Juyal, Salman Yusuff Khan, Punit Pathak, and Dharmesh Yelande among others. The film is slated to release on January 24, 2020.

Nora Fatehi, who is busy promoting her upcoming film Street Dancer 3D, took to her Instagram account to share a stunning portrait. In the picture, Nora is wearing an all-black tuxedo pant suit with a bow-tie, designed by Raghavendra Rathore. The actress completed her look with a pair of earrings and black heels. Since posted, the picture has garnered 4,71,663 likes and several comments. Nora's Street Dancer 3D co-star Varun Dhawan also appreciated her sense of style and wrote, "Innovator". The makers of the film have also released the latest track Lagdi Lahore Di on Wednesday. Guru Randhawa and Tulsi Kumar have sung the song. The song is a remake of the Punjabi song Lahore, which was also sung by Guru Randhawa. "'Lahore' has been one of the chartbusters of recent times and the version 'Lagdi Lahore di' from 'Street Dancer 3D' has a new groovy vibe to it, keeping the original essence intact by Sachin-Jigar," Tulsi told IANS. Jointly produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar and Lizelle D'souza, the film also stars Shraddha Kapoor and Prabhudheva. The Remo D'souza directorial highlights India-Pakistan issues through the scope of dance and music and is slated to hit the silver screen on January 24. Follow @News18Lifestyle for more 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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In an effort to promote coastal shipping, the Shipping Ministry has allowed state-owned port trusts to extend by two years an 80 per cent discount in vessel-related charges and cargo-related charges given to roll-on-roll-off (Ro-Ro) ships that ferry cars and trucks along the coast. The discount scheme, first introduced in September 2016, ended in September 2018, after a two-year run. The extended scheme will now be valid till January 2022. “The Shipping Ministry has directed the major port trusts to extend the scheme by two years,” a ministry official said. The scheme will take effect 30 days after it is notified by the Tariff Authority for Major Ports (TAMP), the rate regulator for state-owned ports. The discount in vessel-related and cargo-related charges for coastal transportation of vehicles through Ro-Ro ships, Ro-Pax, pure car carrier, pure car and truck carrier and pure truck carrier is in line with the ministry’s thrust to promote coastal shipping. Vessel-related charges or marine charges include port dues, berth hire and pilotage. The ministry is seeking to promote movement of cars and automobiles along the coast to tap a fuel efficient, cost-effective and environment-friendly mode of transport compared with road and rail. As a step in this direction, in September 2015, the government allowed foreign registered Roll-On Roll-Off (RoRo), Hybrid Roll-on Roll-off (Hybrid Ro-Ro), Ro-Ro-cum-Passenger (Ro-Pax), Pure Car Carriers (PCC) and Pure Car and Truck Carriers (PCTC) to operate along the country’s coast by easing a so-called cabotage law, which allowed only Indian registered ships to carry cargo on local routes. The relaxation of the cabotage rule for these categories of ships will run through September 2020. To make the discount sustainable for shipping service providers, the major port trusts have been asked to carry out intensive marketing for demand generation, he said. Prior to September 2016, Ro-Ro vessels operating purely on local routes were allowed a discount of 40 per cent over that of the foreign going vessels, according to a government policy for coastal shipping. With the increase in discount to 80 per cent, it is expected that shipping service providers will be able to attract more automobile cargo through the coastal route and decongest the already congested roads and railways. This will also make Ro-Ro ship service operations more sustainable. If the Ro-Ro vessels carry other domestic cargo/containers, those will be entitled to a 40 per cent discount only, as per the policy, the official added.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – A Graniteville man cut his losses midway through jury selection on Monday and pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a young girl two years ago. Marco Rodriguez, 43, subjected the victim to sexual contact between May 28 and 30, 2018, an indictment said. The defendant touched the girl’s private parts, said a criminal complaint. The girl was under age 13 then. Rodriguez was arrested about a month later on June 26, 2018, based on an investigation. She and the defendant knew each other, said police. Rodriguez was charged with felony and misdemeanor counts of sexual abuse, and misdemeanor counts of forcible touching and child endangerment. Rodriguez, over prosecutors’ objection, accepted the court’s offer to plead guilty to the top count of first-degree sexual abuse. In exchange, he’ll be sentenced to two years in prison and 10 years’ post-release supervision. The defendant must register with state authorities as a sexual offender, and a full order of protection will be issued in the victim’s favor. Prosecutors had originally offered the defendant a two-year sentence to plead guilty to the felony sex-abuse charge but withdrew the offer before the start of jury selection, said a source familiar with the case. Rodriguez had shown no interest in the offer before Monday with jury selection underway, the source said. The defendant also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of criminal contempt for violating an order of protection in a separate case in September 2018. He will be sentenced to one year behind bars to run concurrently to the sex-abuse conviction. The defendant will be sentenced on March 23 in state Supreme Court, St. George. Rodriguez, who is not a U.S. citizen, could face deportation after serving his sentence. Defense lawyer Michael Cirigliano declined comment on the cases. Assistant District Attorney John Signoriello is prosecuting them.

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Brian Hoyer is back for Round 3. According to the Boston Globe’s Jim McBride, the Patriots have reached an agreement with the journeyman quarterback who was released by the Colts last week. Now 34 years old, Hoyer’s presence ensures Jarrett Stidham will be able to lean on a quarterback well-versed in the Patriots’ offense, and Hoyer could compete for the starting job, too. Hoyer caught on with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2009 and backed up Tom Brady for three seasons, then started games for the Cardinals, Browns, Texans, Bears and 49ers before returning to New England again. Hoyer was behind Brady for two more seasons until Stidham beat him out for the backup position last August. • The Patriots also reached an agreement with linebacker Brandon Copeland on a one-year deal. The 28-year-old spent the last two seasons with the New York Jets. At 6-foot-3, 263 pounds, Copeland is an outside linebacker who started 10 games in 2018 and set career highs in sacks (five), quarterback hits (13) and tackles for loss (eight). Last season, Copeland was suspended the first four games for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. He made three starts, and had a career-high 42 tackles and 1½ sacks. An undrafted free agent out of Penn, he played three seasons with the Lions before joining the Jets. • Robert Kraft won’t soon forget what Tom Brady did for his franchise. As such, the Patriots owner took out a full-page ad thanking the quarterback for in Sunday’s Tampa Bay Times. The headline reads “THANK YOU TOM”. The message said: For 20 amazing years you gave us everything you had. When you arrived as a sixth-round pick – and the best selection this franchise ever made – no one imagined how much you’d soon mean to an entire region. You now leave New England after two decades of dominance as the GOAT and forever a part of our family. Your passion for the game, competitiveness and constant pursuit of excellence resulted in an unprecedented six Super Bowl victories, nine conference championships and 17 division titles. You’re now recognized as the greatest of all time for what you’ve accomplished on the field, but you’re an even better person. Thank you, Tom for your countless contributions to the New England Patriots, and we wish you and your beautiful family continued success. There will never be another Tom Brady.” To the Buccaneers fans and Tampa Bay community – take care of him. You got a great one. With much love and appreciation, The Kraft family and the New England Patriots JETS: Two people with direct knowledge of the contract say cornerback Pierre Desir has agreed to terms on a deal. The 29-year-old defensive back spent the past three seasons with Indianapolis, where he had 161 tackles, five interceptions, 26 passes defensed, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in 37 games, including 29 starts. The Colts saved nearly $7 million on their salary cap for this season by releasing him on Saturday. SEAHAWKS: Seattle continue to stockpile offensive linemen in free agency, agreeing to terms with former first-rounder Chance Warmack, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. Warmack has not played since 2018, when he appeared in nine games for Philadelphia. He sat out last season to reportedly get healthy after a series of injuries. Warmack, 28, joins Seattle’s growing list of offensive linemen either already under contract or acquired during the early days of free agency. The Seahawks now have 14 offensive linemen, including the additions of free agents Warmack, B.J. Finney, Cedric Ogbuehi and Brandon Shell. Send questions/comments to the editors. « Previous Next »

FOOTBALL Seahawks add OL Warmack The Seattle Seahawks continue to stockpile offensive linemen in free agency, agreeing to terms with former first-rounder Chance Warmack on Sunday, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been announced by the team. Warmack has not played since 2018 when he appeared in nine games for Philadelphia. He sat out last season to reportedly get healthy after a series of injuries. Warmack, 28, was part of the 2013 draft class and was considered the best interior offensive lineman that year coming out of Alabama. He was drafted 10th overall by Tennessee and started 46 of 48 possible games his first three seasons for the Titans. But Warmack suffered a hand injury early in the 2016 season and played in just two games. The Titans opted not to pick up his fifth-year option and Warmack eventually signed with the Eagles, spending two seasons with Philadelphia. Warmack joins Seattle's growing list of offensive linemen either already under contract or acquired during the early days of free agency. The Seahawks have 14 offensive linemen either under contract or having agreed to terms for the upcoming season. That includes the additions of Warmack, B.J. Finney, Cedric Ogbuehi and Brandon Shell this week. Jets, CB Desir reach deal Two people with direct knowledge of the contract say the New York Jets and cornerback Pierre Desir have agreed to terms on a deal. One of the people tells The Associated Press the contract for the former Indianapolis Colts standout is for one year. Financial terms weren't immediately available. The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Sunday because teams can't announce deals until they are officially signed. Desir was released by Colts on Saturday. The 29-year-old defensive back spent the past three seasons with Indianapolis, where he had 161 total tackles, 5 interceptions, 26 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in 37 games, including 29 starts. Desir signed a three-year contract worth $22.5 million -- including $12 million guaranteed -- last March, but the Colts saved nearly $7 million on their salary cap for this season by releasing him. TE Vannett now a Bronco A person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press the Denver Broncos have agreed to a two-year free agent deal with former Seattle and Pittsburgh tight end Nick Vannett that's worth $5.7 million. At 6-6 and 261 pounds, Vannett will be Denver's biggest tight end, and while he's primarily built a reputation as a blocker, he did catch 29 passes for Seattle in 2018 and had a combined 17 receptions for the Seahawks and Steelers last season. He'll pair with 2019 first-round pick Noah Fant in the Broncos' two-tight end sets, and his addition could spell trouble for fellow Ohio State alum Jeff Heuerman, who's been plagued by injuries during his five-year career and is due nearly $4 million next season, none of which is guaranteed. Vannett was a third-round pick out of Ohio State by Seattle in 2016. Heuerman was a third-round pick by the Broncos a year earlier. In four seasons, Vannett has 61 catches for 591 yards and four touchdowns. Heuerman, who didn't play as a rookie because of a knee injury, has remarkably similar numbers in his four seasons of action: 63 catches for 678 yards and five touchdowns. Bears, CB Burns agree to contract Photo by FR155572 AP Pierre Desir, right, of the Indianapolis Colts, and guest attend the 9th Annual NFL Honors at the Adrienne Arsht Center on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020, in Miami. (Jeff Lewis/AP Images for NFL) The Chicago Bears and cornerback Artie Burns agreed to a one-year contract, agent Drew Rosenhaus said. Drafted out of Miami by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the No. 25 pick in 2016, Burns played in all 16 games each of his first three years before falling out of the rotation in 2019. He had three interceptions as a rookie, but played in just 10 games last season. The Bears had an opening after waiving cornerback Prince Amukamara last month. Sports on 03/23/2020

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The statement added that there was a " communitarian " bias to the discourses taking place with regard to the state. Gago's theoretical framework encompasses a broad range of areas: microeconomics, transnational socioeconomic networks, communitarian ethics and surplus value, marginal neighborhoods, and clandestine textile workshops. On this special occasion, the chief guest formally inaugurated 'The Young Communitarian of Indian Schools (YCIS)'. THE shadow chancellor, John McDonnell's, communitarian approach to some of the former nationalised industries has much to commend it but, if anything, is too generous to shareholders. The holiday is based on seven principles as a way to "reaffirm the communitarian vision and values of African culture and to contribute to its restoration among African peoples in the Diaspora, beginning with Africans in America and expanding to include the world African community," the official Kwanzaa website states. They observe in the prologue the fact that most of the studies so far analyze Jewish life in the institutional framework of communitarian organizations and their political action, setting aside, or even rendering invisible, aspects of social and cultural history. After this analysis, in the next couple of sections we delve deeper into the liberal and communitarian depictions of the self. It is significant for the conclusions reached in this paper that diverse strands in social, political and moral thought, arising from very different locations on the political spectrum--such as Marxism (Ross, 2003) and traditional 'one-nation' conservatism (Scruton, 2001)--can be identified within communitarian thought. The second, "The Philo-Semitic Reaction," by Segre ("a student of the Talmud who lives in Israel"), is an approximately 180-page piece that critically analyzes select texts from various 21st century intellectuals that have promoted a " communitarian " and "Jewish" perspective in support of the "struggle against anti-Semitism" and the "defense of Zionism." The goal of the analysis is to demonstrate that this ideological movement is not communitarian , but rather that it is a part of a larger reactionary imperialist ideology and that, as such, "it actually involves the betrayal of Jewish particularism." In contrast, Part IV proposes a communitarian approach to the problems of global ill health.

Dear Editor, Indians have always determined the outcome of general elections based not always on policies but by the virtue that they have been a majority population in Guyana where voters vote according to race and ethnicity. In the post-independence period, and from 1968 to 1992, Indians voted according to ethnic preference but that voting went to the then PNC through the rigging of elections during the aforesaid period. Indians’ votes inadvertently sustained the PNC in power, clandestinely. From 1992 to 2015, and even though the Indian population decreased due mainly to out-migration, their votes kept the PPP in power, although as a minority government from 2011 to 2015. The PPP became a minority government precisely because of the formation of the AFC in 2003 which gradually from that period began to attract Indian voters from the PPP. The 2015 general elections witnessed a substantial number of Indians, numbers which are difficult to pin down but large enough to allow the AFC now in the coalition with the PNC and other small parties named APNU to unseat the PPP. The middle-class Indians and their entourage helped, and if not single-handedly, provided the votes APNU needed to grab power. March 2, 2020, general election is the campaign for the swing votes, mainly of Indian extraction. Africans and other ethnic groups including the mixed races also played an important role in determining the outcome of general elections analogous to Indians but somewhat differently. Like Indians, from 1968 to 1992 to 2015, Africans voted according to race and ethnicity, meaning that they also voted for their own kind to lead them. The difference, however, is that there has not been a noticeable crossing over of African voters from the PNC to the PPP and even to the AFC which was once seen as a mini-ethnic coalition but that sentiment eroded substantially. It is challenging to determine how many Africans, whether breaking away from PNC or joining independently, are in the AFC, which invariably is a moot point since that party has become PNC. Likewise, we notice the African leaders in the AFC but most of them are closet PNC supporters. The more the PPP challenged them the more they feel comfortable sitting on the lap of PNC, their prerogative. There is also one indisputable fact that will stay with us for a long time, and that is, do not expect an African to lead the PPP and likewise do not expect an Indian to lead APNU, reinforcing the thought that politics in Guyana is a racially and ethnically entrenched affair. A second layer of leadership has always been used to compensate for this deficiency. The above dynamics will continue on March 2, 2020, general elections primarily because of the successful passage of the No-Confidence Motion (NCM) against the current caretaker regime. The regime has repeatedly violated this constitutional mandate in accordance with the tenets of democracy, and in so doing, has created more divisions among the two major groups never seen before in Guyana. The campaigning has helped to cement the divisions. What has emerged from the regime’s resistance to NCM is a culture of defiance towards abiding with the basic expectations of fair governance, an experience that should not be overlooked. Expect more of this behaviour should the regime be defeated at the polls. Any change to race and ethnic voting patterns might occur in 2025 because of oil revenues. Yours faithfully, Lomarsh Roopnarine

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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry choosing not to bring baby Archie to the UK for their final royal engagements would be 'spiteful and inconsiderate', a former palace press secretary has claimed. The Duke of Sussex, 35, is currently in Britain and embarking on his final week of official engagements, and is about to move into a post-royal career similar to that of his mother, the late Princess Diana following her separation from Prince Charles in 1992. He has been staying at Frogmore Cottage, the couple's home on the Queen's Windsor estate. Meghan is due to join him for the Endeavour Fund Awards tonight, which recognises wounded, injured or sick military personnel and veterans who have gone on to use sport and adventurous challenges as part of their recovery and rehabilitation. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry choosing not to bring baby Archie (pictured as a family in South Africa last year) to the UK for their final royal engagements would be 'spiteful and inconsiderate', a former palace press secretary has claimed As yet the duchess is yet to arrive in the UK - and she is expected to be without Archie, who turns one in May. Dickie Arbiter, a press spokesman for the Queen from 1988 until 2000, said it would be a 'great pity' if the couple didn't bring their son to spend time with his family. 'I'm sorry, there isn't an excuse for not bringing him. After all, he's got to meet his family, his family are not going to get a chance to see him for quite some time, because Harry and Meghan are going to be in Canada or the United States,' he told Nine News Australia. 'There's always the excuse, "Well he's too young to fly"; babies fly all the time, they flew Archie down to Southern Africa in October for that visit, so it wasn't too far to take him there, so I believe that they should bring him.' Harry, pictured with Archie in Canada over Christmas, has been staying at Frogmore Cottage, the couple's home on the Queen's Windsor estate, while in the UK for his final engagements Dickie said it would be a 'great pity' if the couple didn't bring Archie to spend time with his family including the Queen and Prince Philip Asked if it was 'spiteful' not to bring him, Dickie replied: 'Well it is spiteful, it's inconsiderate as well, and the Queen is going to be 94 in April, she's not going to be with us much longer. 'Prince Philip is going to be 99 in June, he's not going to be here much longer. You've got to be practical, he was in hospital at Christmas, he looked pretty frail when he came out, and he's up at Sandringham, nobody's seen him, and he is frail. 'People do get frail at that age and it would be a great pity if Archie wasn't brought over so that his great-grandparents could see him.' Philip, 98, was last pictured being driven onto the Royal Sandringham Estate in Norfolk for a shooting party in January. Meghan and Harry announced they were stepping down as senior members of the Royal Family in January, and are now planning to split their time between the UK and the US. Given Meghan and Harry (pictured in January) brought Archie with them to South Africa, Dickie said there is 'no excuse' not to bring him to the UK Dickie said Prince Philip, pictured leaving the King Edward VII Hospital in London just before Christmas, is 'not going to be here much longer' after he was seen looking 'frail' Dickie said Meghan is 'certainly taking the lead in everything', while Harry is 'following along'. The Sussexes will also attend the Mountbatten Music Festival at the Royal Albert Hall, which see the Royal Marines showcase their musicianship and pageantry. The festival takes places over two days - March 6 and March 7 - at the venue in London, with Harry expected to attend the Saturday evening performance. This event will also be Harry's last engagement as Captain-General of the Royal Marines, before he loses this title as he steps down as a senior royal. Meghan is expected to undertake an engagement to mark International Women's Day on March 8, although no specifics have yet been revealed. William and Kate (left) with Harry and Meghan (right) at the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in March 2019 Meghan and Harry are set to attend the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey the following day, along with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Queen. It will be the first time the Queen has seen Meghan since November last year when the couple travelled to Canada during their six week break. At last year's event, Harry and Meghan were seated beside Prince Andrew, who has since left his royal duties after an interview about his paedophile friend Jeffrey Epstein.

Advertisement The Duke of Sussex waved to well-wishers outside Buckingham Palace this afternoon as he was driven away in a Range Rover following a series of internal meetings as he prepares to step down as a senior royal. Prince Harry held discussions with his team as he waits for his wife Meghan to arrive in Britain imminently for their final round of engagements before they leave their role at the end of the month. The Queen was also at the palace today as she carried out one-to-one audiences in her London residence with the Cuban Ambassador and President of Malta, although it is not clear whether the monarch spoke to Harry. It is not clear whether Harry spoke to the Queen today, three days after they had a 'heart to heart' for four hours in her private apartments at Windsor Castle about his imminent departure from the Royal Family. Harry is said to have requested the meeting, and the monarch - who last saw her grandson during their showdown at Sandringham in January after Harry broke the news that he and Meghan were quitting - was happy to agree. The Duke of Sussex waves as he leaves Buckingham Palace this afternoon following internal meetings with his team Prince Harry is driven away from Buckingham Palace in a Range Rover this afternoon as members of the public watch on The Queen is believed to have told her grandson that she was keen to keep the door open for him and Meghan to return and stressed that he would be welcomed back from Canada at any time. A source told the Daily Mail: 'Harry scheduled the meeting, he always tries to pop in and see her for tea when he's at Frogmore and she is at Windsor Castle.' What are Harry and Meghan's engagements for the rest of March? The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will attend the Endeavour Fund Awards in London tomorrow night in one of their final engagements before stepping down as senior royals at the end of the month. Harry and Meghan will celebrate the achievements of wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women who have taken part in sporting and adventure challenges over the last year. The following day, Harry will be at the official opening of the Silverstone Experience with motor-racing champion Lewis Hamilton. The couple will also attend the Mountbatten Music Festival at the Royal Albert Hall on March 6 before Meghan undertakes an engagement for International Women’s Day on March 8. They will both attend the Commonwealth Service at the Royal Albert Hall the following day, where they will be reunited with Harry's brother Prince William and his wife Kate - who are currently on tour in Ireland. Despite quitting a senior royals, Harry is expected to attend the London Marathon in April in his capacity as patron. The Duke and Duchess will also attend the Invictus Games in Holland in May. Advertisement Harry, who has always enjoyed a warm relationship with his grandmother, was apparently keen to 'clear the air' before he and Meghan formally step down as working royals on March 31. He has been staying at Frogmore Cottage, the couple's home on the Queen's Windsor estate, since returning to the UK last week to undertake a handful of final official engagements. He and Meghan have agreed to pay back £2.4million in taxpayer funds used to rebuild the property in light of their decision to relocate to North America. It is understood that he and his grandmother shared a light lunch and tea as they discussed his future. A royal source told The Sun: 'The Queen had a lot to talk to Harry about and this was the ideal time for them to both say their piece.' The Queen was left deeply upset after Harry and Meghan decided to suddenly announce their plans to step down and move abroad in early January in an apparent effort to bounce the royal family into agreeing to their demands to retain the trappings of royal life, while pursuing independent commercial careers. And the couple were taken aback when Buckingham Palace made clear its displeasure and insisted that Harry would have to relinquish his HRH title as a non working royal and hand back their official patronages and his military positions, as well as dropping their plans to market themselves as 'Sussex Royal'. The source said: 'Sunday was the first time the Queen had the chance to talk to Harry on his own and really find out what his plans are. It was a much more relaxed environment and they were both able to speak their mind.' The Queen meets President of Malta George Vella and his wife Miriam Vella during an audience at Buckingham Palace today The Queen meets the Ambassador of Cuba Barbara Elena Montalvo Alvarez at an audience at Buckingham Palace today The Mail has also reported that the Queen is 'very sad' that she sees so little of Harry and Meghan's son Archie, her great-grandson. Harry and Meghan leave Canada House in London on January 7 - their most recent royal engagement together in Britain The source added: 'It's fair to say she is very upset about him and Meghan leaving and she would love to see more of Archie, as would Prince Charles and the rest of the family. 'But she accepts at the moment that his mind is made up and he intends to live in North America.' The meeting at the weekend was said to have been 'productive and positive'. One source said Harry was seen leaving 'deep in thought'. Meghan is due in London to join Harry tomorrow for one of her last official jobs as a working HRH. But the couple have decided to leave Archie in Canada, meaning his British family haven't seen him for more than four months. At Buckingham Palace today, the Queen ditched her gloves as she carried out audiences - but will be following Government advice on washing hands amid the coronavirus outbreak. The 93-year-old monarch unusually wore large white gloves at a Palace investiture for what was believed to be the first time on Tuesday, as she greeted more than 50 recipients. But today, for her one-to-one audiences in her London residence, during which she never wears gloves, she was back to being bare-handed. The Queen, dressed in a vibrant red dress, met President of Malta George Vella in the Palace's 1844 room. She also held an audience with Cuban Ambassador Barbara Montalvo Alvarez. William and Kate (left) with Harry and Meghan (right) at the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in March 2019 The monarch shook hands with her guests, who were also without gloves. A royal source has previously said that Buckingham Palace is following Government advice. It is therefore likely that the Queen will be helping to stop the spread of any germs by washing her hands for 20 seconds with soap and water, or using hand sanitiser, more often, and regularly throughout the day. The royal family's social media accounts posted footage of the monarch greeting the Maltese president and his wife, Miriam. Mr Vella can be heard telling the Queen he had 'always dreamt about' meeting her and 'at last it has happened'. 'Oh, that's very nice, isn't it,' the Queen remarks. The Queen lived in Malta during the early years of her marriage to the Duke of Edinburgh, when Philip was serving in the Navy. An audience is a brief, one-on-one meeting with the Queen, and they happen regularly throughout her working week. The majority are for members of the diplomatic community, though the Queen also welcomes political, religious and military leaders, and people who have won prestigious cultural prizes. Audiences generally last approximately 15 to 20 minutes, and the conversations which take place are entirely private. The Queen shakes hands with her guests, who are often accompanied by a close family member, usually a spouse. If they are diplomats, they hand the Queen their credentials - their Letters of Credence or Letters of High Commission. The Queen turns 94 next month, and the risk of more severe symptoms of the coronavirus is greater for the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions. England's Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty, has said the death rate for people infected with coronavirus is 'significantly ramped up' among those over the age of 80. William and Kate during a visit to the Teagasc Animal and Grassland Research Centre at Grange in County Meath today World Health Organisation director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has advised anyone over the age of 60 to avoid crowded areas. Around the world, people are rejecting handshakes and refusing kisses in an attempt to reduce the spread of the disease. A video widely shared showed people in China tapping their feet against one another - dubbed the 'Wuhan Shake' - as a hands-free greeting. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he will continue to shake hands with people despite the outbreak of coronavirus. PMs usually have an audience with the Queen each Wednesday, where they typically shake the monarch's hand. The countdown to Megxit: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's last five engagements - including joining the Queen on Commonwealth Day - before their time as working royals ends on March 31 March 5: Endeavour Fund Awards (Harry and Meghan) Harry and Meghan will tomorrow attend the Endeavour Fund Awards which recognises wounded, injured or sick military personnel and veterans who have gone on to use sport and adventurous challenges as part of their recovery and rehabilitation. Harry has attended every ceremony since the inaugural one in 2017, which he went to with his brother William. He went to the event in 2018 and 2019 with Meghan. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex pose with nominees and guests at the Endeavour Fund Awards at Drapers' Hall in London on February 7, 2019 The Endeavour Fund was led by his and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Royal Foundation which saw them step up the drive to help wounded service personnel. The Fund has brought about programmes such as Climb2Recovery, led by former Royal Engineer Neil Heritage Team Endeavour Racing, which was started by former Infantryman Stu Croxford and carried on by Royal Engineer veteran Brian Seggie. Harry speaks to guests at a reception for the Endeavour Fund at St James's Palace in 2015 It has also resulted in an expedition to Oman organised by a veteran Rifleman, Matt Fisher, which saw him and the team spend several days crossing the desert with Fund ambassador Levison Wood. Harry has said of the Fund: 'I am continually amazed by the tenacity, fortitude and unshakable humour displayed by the men and women who sign up to run races, cross oceans, climb mountains or take on challenges few would even contemplate.' March 6: Silverstone Experience (Harry) The following day, Harry will join British Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton at the official opening of the Silverstone Experience. The much-anticipated museum - which the Duke has been backing for years - will tell the story of the past, present and future of British motor racing. Prince Harry (right) meets racing drivers Jenson Button (left), Lewis Hamilton (second right) and former F1 World Champion Sir Jackie Stewart (second left) at Silverstone in July 2011 Harry official launched the project for the £19.3million visitor attraction in March 2018 and is the patron of the museum in Northamptonshire. It was built inside a former Wellington bomber hanger located within the grounds of the track and officials hope it more than 500,000 people a year will visit. Prince Harry, his cousin George McCorquodale and his mother Princess Diana are shown the workings of a Williams F1 car at Silverstone by driver David Coulthard in July 1994 Harry had promised it would be 'an exhilarating attraction, based here at the home of British motorsport and I'm sure it will help to engage children in engineering'. Harry is a big F1 fan, and congratulated Hamilton on his title win in November 2014 by telling him on the radio: 'Lewis, you're an absolute legend. Well done mate.' March 7: Mountbatten Music Festival (Harry and Meghan) The couple will also attend the Mountbatten Music Festival at the Royal Albert Hall, which see the Royal Marines showcase their musicianship and pageantry. The festival takes places over two days - March 6 and March 7 - at the venue in London, with Harry expected to attend the Saturday evening performance. The Duke of Sussex at the Mountbatten Festival of Music at the Royal Albert Hall in March 2019 Last year's concert saw the Marine bands performed a range of different songs, including versions of popular hits by Take That and the Greatest Showman. The 2019 event also marked the 75th anniversary of D-Day. All proceeds from the concert this year will again go to The Royal Marines Charity and CLIC Sargent. The Massed Bands of the Royal Marines perform at the Mountbatten Festival of Music last year This event will also be Harry's last engagement as Captain-General of the Royal Marines, before he loses this title as he steps down as a senior royal. The couple will continue to be known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as well as by the Earl and Countess of Dumbarton and the Baron and Baroness of Kilkeel. March 8: International Women's Day (Meghan) Meghan is expected to undertake an engagement to mark International Women's Day on March 8, although no specifics have yet been revealed. Speaking on a panel to mark International Women's Day last year, she said she would like her first child to be a feminist, regardless of whether they are a girl or a boy. Meghan speaks at a panel in London in March 2019 with model Adwoa Aboah (left) and former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard (right) to mark International Women's Day last year Speaking on a panel to mark International Women's Day, Meghan said she had recently been watching a documentary on feminism. She told an audience at King's College London last March: 'One of the things they said during pregnancy was 'I feel the embryonic kicking of feminism'.' In March 2018, Harry and Meghan took part in an International Women's Day event in Birmingham to encourage young women to pursue careers in Stem subjects Meghan has spoken about how noticed during a school assignment that an advert for a dishwashing detergent suggested women do all the cleaning. She complained about it in a letter to Proctor and Gamble when she was aged just 11, and the firm responded by changing a line in the advert. In 2018, Harry and Meghan took part in an International Women's Day event in Birmingham to encourage young women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) subjects. March 9: Commonwealth Service (Harry and Meghan) Harry and Meghan will both attend the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey the next day with the Queen and other senior members of the Royal Family. Earlier this month it was revealed that the Queen had requested that Harry and Meghan attend the annual service with the rest of the royals. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (left) with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (right) as they attend the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey on March 11 last year The event will likely see the Duke and Duchess of Sussex reunite with Prince William and Kate, a year after they were pictured smiling together at the 2019 service. But the Sussexes have severed professional ties with the Cambridges by pulling out of the Kensington Palace household and their joint charitable foundation. Prince Harry and Meghan arrive for the Commonwealth Day service in London in March 2019 At last year's event, Harry and Meghan were seated beside Prince Andrew, who has left his royal duties after an interview about his paedophile friend Jeffrey Epstein. The 2019 service included performances by the Dhol Foundation drummers, Clean Bandit, William Barton on the didgeridoo, tenor Alfie Boe and the B Positive choir. Commonwealth Day has been celebrated since 1977 annually on the second Monday in March, celebrating the historic ties Britain has with the 53 other countries.

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A number of conservative groups are pushing the FCC to free up spectrum in the 6 GHz band, saying it is underutilized and the risks to incumbents overstated. The commission under FCC chair Ajit Pai has proposed allowing dynamic sharing of the band between incumbents, including licensed broadcast ENG users and utilities, and unlicensed users. Related: Broadcast, Cable Square Off Over 6 GHz "By opening the 6 GHz band for unlicensed use, the FCC would enable massive technological innovation by designating a highly underutilized portion of radio spectrum for wider and more efficient use," they wrote Ajit Pai Friday (Feb. 14). They opened the letter with something of a valentine to the chairman, saying that under his leadership the country could "soon see tremendous technological and economic rewards." Broadcasters and utility companies have warned about interference to their licensed uses, but the groups say that there are "too many benefits to opening up this valuable spectrum to take these extreme warnings at face value." Computer companies want the FCC to free up the entire 1200 MHz of 6 GHz spectrum, while broadcasters say the FCC can free up some, but should not let unlicensed users share the ENG band. The conservative groups are clearly in the former camp. "Although some incumbent users of the 6 GHz spectrum paint a bleak and fearsome picture of sharing this spectrum, technology already successfully in use can enable coexistence in the band."

FCC chair Ajit Pai urged internet providers to lower costs and boost speeds given that the coronavirus is likely to drive more people online to work and study and get healthcare, according to The Wall Street Journal. That came in conference calls with industry representatives Thursday (March 12). An FCC spokesperson confirmed the calls--as did a source familiar with them--and said that more details would be coming out Friday. Pai wants broadband providers to hold off on disconnections, provide billing relief and open up WiFi hot spots for free. Comcast was getting ahead of the issue Thursday, announcing that it was offering 60 days of free broadband access to low-income homes, providing free equipment, and boosting speeds. In addition, NCTA-The National Cable & Telecommunications Association, said Thursday its members were exploring ways to expand initiatives and develop new strategies to meet the moment.

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Amy Klobuchar trails top four candidates with more than half of precincts reporting Show Caption Hide Caption Iowa caucus delays: Candidates give speeches despite lack of results With no winner declared on the night of the Democratic Iowa caucuses amid delays, the candidates still gave speeches. The Register and USA TODAY, Des Moines Register After a nearly 24-hour wait for caucus results because of reporting delays within the Iowa Democratic Party, partial results showed U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar in fifth place in the race for state delegates, with 62% of precincts reporting by 6 p.m. Tuesday. "I think I spent the least (money) on TV of all of the top eight candidates in the race, and the fact that we've been consistently in the top five … I think that's a real win for me," Klobuchar told reporters in Johnston before the caucuses began Monday. Residents of two precincts filed into Johnston Middle School more than an hour before the caucuses started. Volunteers rang a cowbell each time a new Democrat registered to vote, eliciting waves of cheers through the main hallway. Right at 7 p.m., as caucuses began in two separate gyms, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar arrived and quickly did a live television interview with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. Her staffers then whisked her into the bigger gym, where a few hundred residents sat in the bleachers. "What unites us is bigger than what divides us," Klobuchar told the caucusgoers of Johnston's 2nd precinct. "I hope you all know that in this room — that the most important thing is that we win in the general election." Klobuchar later won that precinct thanks to strong second-choice support. Since announcing her candidacy in February 2019, the Minnesota senator made more than 30 trips to Iowa and is the only remaining Democratic candidate to have toured each of Iowa’s 99 counties. She held more Iowa events than anyone who qualified for the CNN/Des Moines Register Democratic Presidential Debate in January. Hundreds of supporters chanted "Amy! Amy!" as the Minnesota senator appeared at her post-caucus "victory" party at the Des Moines Marriott Downtown. She first acknowledged delays in reporting from precinct sites — just 33 of 1,765 Iowa precincts had reported results by the time she took the stage at 10:30 p.m. A spokesperson for the Iowa Democratic Party said Monday night that there were “inconsistencies in the reporting of three sets of results" that "will simply take time" to validate. The party was using preference cards and photos to do so, a statement said. "We know there’s delays, but we know one thing — we are punching above our weight," Klobuchar said at the Marriott. "We are going to be here, it looks like, a really long time tonight. But let’s stay in a good spirit! "Even during the well-earned impeachment trail of Donald Trump, we kept fighting and you kept fighting for me." When closing arguments kept her in Washington, D.C, for most of Caucus Day, her husband and daughter listened on the radio while delivering glazed donuts to canvassers in Des Moines. "We started in a blizzard and a lot of people didn't predict I'd finish that speech," she joked Monday night, then said she continued to beat expectations. "In the summer, they kept saying, 'Is she going to make it through the summer?' Then debate, after debate, after debate. All I can say is, we are here and we are strong." Klobuchar's campaign manager, Justin Buoen, reacted to the partial results early Monday night, calling it a "five-person race." "Some of Amy's strongest counties haven't been fully reported and the current data doesn't tell the full story," Buoen tweeted. "We're in a virtual tie with (former Vice President Joe Biden) and we look forward to making our case in New Hampshire." Klobuchar caucus adviser Norm Sterzenbach, the former executive director of the Iowa Democratic Party, shared support for the party volunteers on Tuesday as the country awaited results. He tweeted that "… despite any issues with the technology, countless volunteers across this state worked incredibly hard to put on the best caucus they could. They performed admirably and deserve our gratitude." Klobuchar won more endorsements from Iowa lawmakers than the other candidates. Eighteen state senators and representatives backed her campaign, including Rep. Andy McKean of Anamosa — who was the longest-serving Republican in the legislature until he switched parties last year. Her support grew slightly in the months before the caucuses. In Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Polls in November and early January, 6% of likely Democratic caucusgoers said she was their first choice. Shelby Fleig covers Des Moines' western suburbs for the Register. Reach her at shelbyfleig@dmreg.com or 515-214-8933. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Subscribe today at DesMoinesRegister.com/Deal.

As Iowa caucus unfolds, Amy Klobuchar urges Democrats to remember 'what unites us' Show Caption Hide Caption Amy Klobuchar tells caucus-goers she wants 'blue wall' around Iowa Amy Klobuchar made an appearance at Johnston's second precinct, at the middle school, to speak on her own behalf. Chad Leistikow, cleistik@dmreg.com At 7 p.m. as the caucuses began, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar arrived at Johnston Middle School where she did a live television interview with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. Her staffers then whisked her into a large gym, where a couple hundred residents sat in the bleachers, many wearing the colors of their favorite candidates' campaigns. "What unites us is bigger than what divides us," Klobuchar told the group. "I hope you all know that in this room — that the most important thing is that we win in the general election." Supporters of several candidates cheered her points on party unity during the three-minute speech. After speaking to another precinct in a smaller gym, and another live interview with NBC’s Chuck Todd, Klobuchar got back on her green tour bus. Later Monday night, Klobuchar won one of the two Johnston precincts where she spoke, thanks to strong second-choice support. A couple hundred supporters chanted "Amy! Amy!" as the Minnesota senator took the stage at her post-caucus "victory" party at the Des Moines Marriott Downtown. She first acknowledged delays in reporting from precinct sites — just 34 of 1,765 Iowa precincts had reported results by the time she took the stage at 10:30 p.m. A spokesperson for the Iowa Democratic Party said in a statement Monday night that there were “inconsistencies in the reporting of three sets of results" that "will simply take time" to validate. The party is using preference cards and photos to do so, the statement said. "We know there’s delays, but we know one thing — we are punching above our weight," Klobuchar said. "We are going to be here, it looks like, a really long time tonight. But let’s stay in a good spirit!" Since announcing her candidacy in February 2019, the Minnesota senator has made more than 30 trips to Iowa and is the only remaining Democratic candidate to have toured each of Iowa’s 99 counties. She held more Iowa events than anyone who qualified for the CNN/Des Moines Register Democratic Presidential Debate in January. As soon as President Donald Trump's legal team finished opening arguments in his impeachment trial last week, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar flew to Iowa. The impromptu appearance — a sign of Klobuchar's all-in-on-Iowa mindset less than a week before the caucuses — brought nearly 200 people to a Council Bluffs bar. She returned to Washington, D.C., the same night. "We are really focused … on getting everywhere in Iowa and to make the point that you win by meeting people," Klobuchar said at a Forest City house party in November. "You win by meeting each voter one at a time." A couple dozen people have crowded onto ⁦@amyklobuchar⁩’s campaign bus, which is now parked outside the county courthouse in Rockwell City. Her staff is handing out hot cocoa to everyone and they’re all just chatting. pic.twitter.com/APYh4dTpBi — Brianne Pfannenstiel (@brianneDMR) December 23, 2019 She earned 18 endorsements from Iowa lawmakers, including Rep. Andy McKean of Anamosa, who was the longest-serving Republican in the legislature until he switched parties last year. "Amy has shown over the years that she has strong support not only from Democrats but also strong support from independents and moderate Republicans," McKean said last year. "That's what we need if we're going to be winning in November." Voter guide: Don’t have a lot of time? Find FAQs on the key issues and where the candidates stand and more to make your vote matter. Klobuchar grew her support in the Iowa Statehouse after U.S. Sens. Cory Booker and Kamala Harris and former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke ended their campaigns. Iowa Democratic Reps. Chris Hall of Sioux City, who backed O’Rourke; Monica Kurth of Davenport, who backed Booker; and Ross Wilburn of Ames, who supported Harris; all recently endorsed Klobuchar. Despite the bevy of endorsements, Klobuchar has lagged behind four frontrunners — U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren; former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg; and former Vice President Joe Biden — in the months before the caucuses. She was in fifth place in a Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll in November and January, with 6% of likely Democratic caucusgoers naming her their first choice in each poll. Iowa caucus: 10 questions that will be answered on caucus night She also has struggled to appeal to young Iowans. In the early January Iowa Poll, she gained favorable ratings with older likely Democratic caucusgoers, including 69% of women age 55 and older. But just 32% of caucusgoers younger than 35 said they view her favorably. When the impeachment trial kept Klobuchar in Washington, she deployed her husband, John; and daughter Abigail Bessler; Minnesota politicians; and U.S. Olympic gold medal curling coach Phill Drobnick; to Iowa on her behalf. In the past two weeks, she hosted three tele-town halls that reached more than 35,000 Iowans, her campaign manager, Justin Buoen, said last week at a Bloomberg News reporter roundtable in Des Moines. As Klobuchar sat in the impeachment trial Monday morning, her husband and daughter listened to the closing arguments on the radio while delivering glazed donuts to canvassers in Des Moines. "The last push here is to get people out to the caucuses," John Bessler told reporters Monday. He predicted that "the fact that Amy showed up" in rural counties will make her viable in smaller precincts across the state, which is critical to picking up state delegate equivalents. "We're putting hangers on doorknobs, we're making phone calls, we're doing all the things you'd expect in the last stage of the campaign here in Iowa," he said. "I'm going to do whatever they ask me to do!" In a year of campaigning in Iowa, Klobuchar lived out the title of her memoir, "The Senator Next Door." She brought her favorite hotdish across the border, celebrated Thanksgiving in Des Moines, and repeatedly joked that she "can see Iowa from my porch." Some Iowans she met during marathon bus tours became part of her stump speeches and debate rebuttals. In October in Crawfordsville, Klobuchar mournfully scanned a rack of navy blue work uniforms at W2 Fuel, a closed biofuels plant, reading aloud the names of the laid-off workers embroidered on the shirts. She recited them — "Derek, Mark, Salvador" — three months later at the debate in Des Moines while criticizing the Trump administration for granting waivers to large oil companies that exempt them from ethanol mandates. "I am going to be able to stand across from (Trump) on that debate stage and say to my friends in Iowa, 'The Midwest is not flyover country for me; I live here,'" Klobuchar said in January. "I'm going to be able to look at him and say, ‘You've treated these workers and farmers like poker chips. For me, these are my friends, and these are my neighbors.'" Candidates on the issues: Find out how the 2020 presidential candidates plan to tackle healthcare, climate change, gun violence and more. Shelby Fleig covers Des Moines' western suburbs for the Register. Reach her at shelbyfleig@dmreg.com or 515-214-8933. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Subscribe today at DesMoinesRegister.com/Deal.

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A nurse on the frontline of the coronavirus crisis has hit out after an angry driver put a threatening note on her car in a row about parking. The NHS employee had just finished a gruelling 12-hour shift at Royal Stoke University Hospital when she discovered the bit of paper tucked under her windscreen wiper. A disgruntled motorist had placed it there last Thursday when the rest of the country was clapping the NHS in a national show of gratitude. But when the nurse went out to her car work, she saw the note, which read in capital letters: ''How f***ing stupid and dangerouse (sic) parking here do it again you will be sorry!!!!!' She left a scathing response, saying: 'Whilst most people were out clapping for the NHS, you were writing this. A NHS nurse from Stoke had just finished a gruelling 12-hour shift at Royal Stoke University Hospital when she discovered this bit of paper tucked under her windscreen wiper 'I am a nurse and working long hours in this very stressful time. Please choose your words wisely. 'Every evening I have arrived home from work this week there has been nowhere for me to park as most people are staying at home. 'This note has been reported and I ask all of my neighbours to please look out for anyone acting suspicious around my car, 'This note is shameful in any circumstance but even more so at a time like this.' The reply was then finished with #bekind. Zoe Lynch, who also had a copy of the abusive note put through her letter box, said: 'The sweary and threatening note was stuck on the nurse's car after she had got home and parked after a 12-hour shift. 'When she went to go to work the next morning that was on her windscreen. 'She then went to do another 12-hour shift and wrote up the her reply and put them through the doors of every house on Fenpark Road to let us all know how awful it was and ask if we can keep an eye out for her. She left a scathing response, saying: 'Whilst most people were out clapping for the NHS, you were writing this.' 'With everything that's going on right now, this is appalling. Parking isn't great on our street but it ever has been. 'To have this put on this wonderful nurse's car when she got home from looking after people just blows my mind.' One residents said: 'We have lived on Fenpark Road for 30 years and it has become increasingly difficult to park - sometimes we park in a different street. 'However, this is despicable. For someone to put this note on a hard-working member of the NHS who is already under a lot of stress working 10 or more hours a day then coming home and can't even get anywhere near her home. 'Please can people think before they write such threatening notes.' Another resident added: 'Best of it is, the car itself even has an NHS UHNM (University Hospitals of North Midlands) parking pass in the window. 'I went and checked after I saw the read the letter to acquaint myself with the car. 'It is tonight parked safely and securely. I don't know if she or he will read this or not, but if you do, rest assured that you do have some friends in your neighbours in the street.'

Sign up to FREE email alerts from Daily Record - daily Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email Kindness often shines through in the face of adversity. And workers at Perth Agrii wasted little time in deciding to donate 100 respiratory masks to the fight against the coronavirus outbreak. Depot manager John Kaylor revealed his team was inspired by the ‘Clap for Carers’ tribute last Thursday and wanted to play a part in any way possible. The tribute witnessed people across Perthshire and beyond join forces at 8pm to applaud the NHS and all those who are dealing with the unprecedented pandemic. It proved to be an emotional sight and Mr Kaylor was determined to help out. The masks were picked up on Friday and delivered to Perth Royal Infirmary. “It is not a lot but every little bit helps and hopefully it encourages other companies to donate something,” Mr Kaylor explained to the Perthshire Advertiser. “We thought about doing this after Thursday night. Everyone was out clapping for the NHS. “It brought a tear to the eye when doing it and you could hear everybody in the street. “That gave us inspiration to do something. It got me thinking that we had the masks and that they could be donated to Perth Royal Infirmary. “If everybody donates something, it all adds up.” Agrii, a leading provider of agronomy services, technology and strategic advice to farmers across the UK, is playing a pivotal role in the coronavirus cause. It is continuing to provide farmers with the fertilizer and nutrients required to grow crops, which in turn helps keep supermarkets and shops stocked up. “We are working on the frontline every day supplying the farmers,” added Mr Kaylor. “We know what it is like for all the people working every day at the moment. “But this is just our job and we have got to do it. Everybody at work is getting on with it and being as safe as we possibly can.” The NHS, who are working courageously to deal with the coronavirus crisis, thanked Agrii for donating the masks and highlighted the strong community spirit on show. A spokesperson for NHS Tayside said: “We would like to thank Agrii Perth for its support. We appreciate the community coming together at this challenging time.”

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A LARGE crowd attended the Landmark Boyanup store cattle sale last week where more than 1200 cattle were offered. Signs of condition slipping was evident on some younger animals but this did not deter buyers. Values were at least equal to last month's fixture, and in some cases dearer. The clerking sheets were dominated by a few regular buyers, none more so than Landmark Waroona agent Richard Pollock, who put together more than 500 cattle for his clients. Liveweight Friesian steers topped at $1237 to be equal. Liveweight beef steers reached $1498 and 344c/kg to see a fair lift for these, while beef heifers were barely equal but saw a high of $1351 paid for a heavy older animal with 278c/kg the top paid. Appraisal Friesian and beef steers sold to $840 and $910 respectively. The buyer of the day was Landmark Waroona agent Richard Pollock, (right) catching up with him before the sale were Myles Hewett (left), Coolup and Joe Fiorenza, Hamel. Just two pens of young first-cross females were penned with both selling at $650. Mated cows attracted competition to sell up to $1460, while one cow and calf unit went for $800. The first run of liveweight Friesian steers all sold for more than $1000, with the top of $1237 paid for eight weighing 595kg from PM Liedermoy, Busselton, when one of the many pens bought by Greg Jones, for his many orders. Mr Jones paid $1190 and $1150 for other lines from this vendor. Steve Italiano (centre), Brunswick, caught up with Justin (left) and Mark Harris, Dardanup, on the rail. Seven head weighing 594kg opened the sale with these making 200c/kg and $1188 for AT & MM Logiudice while their next pen went for $1178 and 204c/kg. The top of 230c/kg went to nine steers averaging 456kg from P Selvj, costing Landmark Brunswick agent Errol Gardiner $1049. Two pens of seven Montebeliard steers from M Tosano, Mullayup, appealed to John Gallop, buying them for Kookabrook Livestock at $1439 and $1423, both at 268c/kg. Six Angus cross steers from this draft sold for $1421, also clerked to Kookabrook. The top price of $1498 for beef steers went to two Murray Grey weighing 555kg from PM Leidermoy when Westcoast Wool & Livestock South West representative Hayden Ballantyne, outlasted the opposition when bidding to 270c/kg, also paying $1371 for three steers from K & M Taylor, Capel. Rodney Galati started his buying with 10 Angus from K & S Prowse, Harvey, with the 416kg steers costing $1131 at 272c/kg. Later Mr Galati added seven steers sold account M Tosano for $1350 when the 482kg cattle made 280c/kg. Gavin Watt, Treeton, was the main lotfeeder active included in purchases were two grey steers from C & R Cherubino for $1108 and 288c/kg, followed by two Limousin cross weighing 442kg sold by EP & DK Gardiner for $1265 and 286c/kg. As the weights lowered, Mr Pollock started his domination, taking numerous pens to a top of $1113, paid for eight steers weighing 343kg at 324c/kg sold by G Tassos & Co. The top of 344c/kg went to a pen of 14 black steers trucked to the sale for TV & GP Salmeri, Boddington, with the 264kg steers costing Caris Park Grazing, $910. The heifers started with a single grey female weighing 545kg making $1351 at 248c/kg when bought for Caris Park Grazing. Two of the volume buyers had the calculator out at the sale, Gavin Watt (left), Treeton and Landmark Brunswick agent Errol Gardiner. Landmark Margaret River agent Jock Embry added extra competition on lighter weights, securing several lines for clients, paying up to 258c/kg. The top of 278c/kg was shared between a pen of seven Murray Grey heifers weighing 375kg from Bondfield Farms that cost GJ & J Watt, $1044. Mr Galati later also bid to 278c/kg for 12 Limousin cross from EP & DK Gardiner weighing 296kg, returning $823. Selling nine pens of lightweight Angus heifers, AR & GR Fawcett, received a top of $639, with one of the lighter pens making 262c/kg. A small number of lines of both beef and Friesian steers selling appraisal saw the beef top at $910, paid by Wayne Hams, Landmark Busselton, for five steers from C & R Cherubino. The next highest was three steers sold by RJ & BL Mazza that joined those for $800. A line of 14 Friesian steers sold by M & S Kirkham were bought by Mr Pollock for the top of $840, with another 12 joining them for $650. Bramley Dairy Trust saw its 10 steers sell for $655, also heading for Waroona when bought by Mr Pollock. Five bucket-reared Angus cross heifers from GP Papalia made $650 as did two sold by TW Cooper, with both going to Mr Pollock. Altham Pastoral, Busselton, were after mated cows, taking the top pen of four Murray Grey sold by BE Kurz, Donnybrook, at $1460, then adding another four at $1300 before securing five sold account TR Purnell at $1240. Just the one cow and calf were sold, making $800 for Perivale Orchard when bought for Phil Scott.

Pearl Lorentzen Lakeside Leader ‘Thriving in Business’, on February 12, was one of the last in-person events in Slave Lake, for a while. It was the reveal of the Slave Lake Business Survey and an economic development talk, by Ken Coates. “The information in the survey is based on how the businesses feel the community supports them,” says Josh Friesen, Community Futures Executive-Director. Once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, the survey has information to “pave the way for a new future for the town.” The pandemic itself is horrible, he adds, but “it gives us opportunities to reflect on better ways to do business.” Coates spoke about 12 reasons people in rural areas should be more scared, 12 reasons they should be excited, and 12 ways they can compete in the global economy. There’s a global decline in rural areas was one of the negatives. Two of the exciting prospects were the empowerment of Indigenous Canadians and new opportunities for self-sufficiency. Three suggests for economic development are change the story, suggest practical innovative solutions, and understand what young professionals look for in a community. The survey and labour solutions event was put on by Community Futures, Slave Lake and District Chamber of Commerce, and the Town of Slave Lake. There were around 35 people at the event and over 500 people have viewed the video of Coate’s speech online. It was bad timing, says Kimberley Hughes, Slave Lake and District Chamber of Commerce Executive-Director, but “the right people were there.” She continues, the event sparked some ideas, and the feedback has been positive. The launch was supposed to be the first event in a series of labour solutions events, but these have been postponed due to COVID-19. Community Futures physical office is closed, but open for business via phone or email. The Chamber of Commerce is closely monitoring the situation of the trade show and Riverboat Daze, which are in May and July respectively. Some of the attendees at the Slave Lake labour survey reveal on March 12. This was one of the last in-person events to be held in Slave Lake for the next while.

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The October 1 deadline for "Real ID" compliant identification at TSA checkpoints is delayed again, President Donald Trump said Monday. All states but three have updated their ID cards to comply with the 14-year old law. The new deadline will be October 2021, the Department of Homeland Security said Thursday. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Get the latest tech news & scoops — delivered daily to your inbox. Loading Something is loading. Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy The October 1 deadline for Americans to obtain a "real ID" in order to pass through airport security checkpoints has been delayed yet again, President Donald Trump announced Monday evening. "At a time when we're asking Americans to maintain social distancing, we do [not] want to require people to go with their local DMV.," he said. "We will be announcing the new deadline very soon. It's going to be announced in a very short moment." On Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security said the new deadline would be October 2021, a year later then previously expected. "Due to circumstances resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and the national emergency declaration, the Department of Homeland Security, as directed by President Donald J. Trump, is extending the REAL ID enforcement deadline beyond the current October 1, 2020 deadline," acting secretary Chad Wolf said in a press release. "I have determined that states require a twelve-month delay and that the new deadline for REAL ID enforcement is October 1, 2021. DHS will publish a notice of the new deadline in the Federal Register in the coming days." Earlier in March, members of Congress urged the Department of Homeland Security to consider extending the deadline. "For implementation to go smoothly, DHS would need tens of millions of Americans to get new identifications over the next several months," reps Peter DeFazio and Bennie Thompson said in a statement, per Bloomberg News. "Creating lines at Departments of Motor Vehicles would be foolish during a pandemic." The Real ID Act was passed by Congress in 2005 as a way to establish federal standards for state identification cards. Nearly 15 years later, the complete implementation by the Department of Homeland Security has been pushed back yet again. By October 1, all travelers were supposed to have compliant identification, either in the form of a state ID or drivers license, or passport, passport card, or military ID. That deadline followed other implementations, like accessing DHS headquarters, federal facilities, and nuclear power plants. The deadline for air travel had already been delayed at least once before, in 2017. Some states, however, still do not have IDs that comply with the act. Oregon and Oklahoma have been granted extensions, according to DHS, with New Jersey's currently under review. More than 69,000 Americans had been confirmed to be infected by the coronavirus Thursday, as testing accelerating throughout the country.

President Donald Trump has extended the deadline for residents to obtain a REAL ID. He made the decision in a White House briefing on Monday. The move comes as a direct result of COVID-19 concerns. The President said: “I’m also announcing that we’re postponing the deadline for compliance with REAL ID requirements. At a time when we’re asking Americans to maintain social distancing, we don’t want to require people to go with their local DMV. We will be announcing the new deadline very soon. It’s going to be announced in a very short moment.” Last week, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio of Oregon and Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson of Mississippi advised against requiring people to wait in a crowded waiting room for hours. In a joint statement, they said: “For implementation to go smoothly, the Department of Homeland Security would need tens of millions of Americans to get new identifications over the next several months. Creating lines at Departments of Motor Vehicles would be foolish during a pandemic.” A REAL ID, or REAL ID-compliant identification, will eventually be required to board a domestic flight or enter a federal building in the U.S.. The Alaska Department of Motor Vehicles provides an online guide to know which documents are required to apply for a REAL ID, and they advise that everyone prepare, as the application must be done in-person.

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Accenture to Acquire Cloud Sherpas, Accelerating Its Cloud First Agenda Acquisition will significantly expand Accenture’s talent and capabilities in enterprise cloud services Founded in 2007, Cloud Sherpas has grown from start-up to a global cloud advisory and technology services leader, providing cloud strategy, implementation and integration services to thousands of clients around the globe. Today, Cloud Sherpas is one of the top cloud service providers for Google, Salesforce and ServiceNow. They are a Salesforce Global Strategic Consulting Partner, one of only four ServiceNow Master Partners and a four-time Google for Work Partner of the Year. Accenture was one of the first global companies to establish a strategic alliance partnership with Salesforce and today has leading capabilities in Salesforce with more than 2,700 unique certified professionals. After combining with Cloud Sherpas, Accenture will add another 500 certified professionals to its team. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Completion of the acquisition is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Goldman Sachs & Co. is acting as financial adviser to Accenture with regard to the transaction. Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with more than 336,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$30.0 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2014. Its home page is www.accenture.com Accenture is a leader in helping organizations move to the cloud to take advantage of a new era of service delivery and flexibility, where applications, infrastructure and business processes are brought together and delivered As-a-Service. Accenture’s Cloud First agenda offers comprehensive, industry-focused cloud services including strategy, implementation, migration and managed services, and assets including the Accenture Cloud Platform, that can drive broader transformational programs for clients. Accenture has worked on more than 13,000 cloud computing projects for clients, including three-quarters of the Fortune Global 100, and has more than 17,000 professionals trained in cloud computing.Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “likely,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “believes,” “estimates,” “positioned,” “outlook” and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. These include, without limitation, risks that: the company and Cloud Sherpas will not be able to close the transaction in the time period anticipated, or at all, which is dependent on the parties’ ability to satisfy certain closing conditions; the transaction might not achieve the anticipated benefits for the company; the company’s results of operations could be adversely affected by volatile, negative or uncertain economic conditions and the effects of these conditions on the company’s clients’ businesses and levels of business activity; the company’s business depends on generating and maintaining ongoing, profitable client demand for the company’s services and solutions, and a significant reduction in such demand could materially affect the company’s results of operations; if the company is unable to keep its supply of skills and resources in balance with client demand around the world and attract and retain professionals with strong leadership skills, the company’s business, the utilization rate of the company’s professionals and the company’s results of operations may be materially adversely affected; the markets in which the company competes are highly competitive, and the company might not be able to compete effectively; the company could have liability or the company’s reputation could be damaged if the company fails to protect client and/or company data or information systems as obligated by law or contract or if the company’s information systems are breached; the company’s results of operations and ability to grow could be materially negatively affected if the company cannot adapt and expand its services and solutions in response to ongoing changes in technology and offerings by new entrants; the company’s results of operations could materially suffer if the company is not able to obtain sufficient pricing to enable it to meet its profitability expectations; if the company does not accurately anticipate the cost, risk and complexity of performing its work or if the third parties upon whom it relies do not meet their commitments, then the company’s contracts could have delivery inefficiencies and be less profitable than expected or unprofitable; the company’s results of operations could be materially adversely affected by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; the company’s profitability could suffer if its cost-management strategies are unsuccessful, and the company may not be able to improve its profitability through improvements to cost-management to the degree it has done in the past; the company’s business could be materially adversely affected if the company incurs legal liability; the company’s work with government clients exposes the company to additional risks inherent in the government contracting environment; the company might not be successful at identifying, acquiring or integrating businesses or entering into joint ventures; the company’s Global Delivery Network is increasingly concentrated in India and the Philippines, which may expose it to operational risks; changes in the company’s level of taxes, as well as audits, investigations and tax proceedings, or changes in the company’s treatment as an Irish company, could have a material adverse effect on the company’s results of operations and financial condition; as a result of the company’s geographically diverse operations and its growth strategy to continue geographic expansion, the company is more susceptible to certain risks; adverse changes to the company’s relationships with key alliance partners or in the business of its key alliance partners could adversely affect the company’s results of operations; the company’s services or solutions could infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others or the company might lose its ability to utilize the intellectual property of others; if the company is unable to protect its intellectual property rights from unauthorized use or infringement by third parties, its business could be adversely affected; the company’s ability to attract and retain business and employees may depend on its reputation in the marketplace; many of the company’s contracts include payments that link some of its fees to the attainment of performance or business targets and/or require the company to meet specific service levels, which could increase the variability of the company’s revenues and impact its margins; if the company is unable to collect its receivables or unbilled services, the company’s results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be adversely affected; if the company is unable to manage the organizational challenges associated with its size, the company might be unable to achieve its business objectives; the company’s share price and results of operations could fluctuate and be difficult to predict; the company’s results of operations and share price could be adversely affected if it is unable to maintain effective internal controls; any changes to the estimates and assumptions that the company makes in connection with the preparation of its consolidated financial statements could adversely affect its financial results; the company may be subject to criticism and negative publicity related to its incorporation in Ireland; as well as the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed under the “Risk Factors” heading in Accenture plc’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and other documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this news release speak only as of the date they were made, and Accenture undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements made in this news release or to conform such statements to actual results or changes in Accenture’s expectations.

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Gov. Kay Ivey's gambling study group assembles for 1st meeting If it wasn't clear beforehand, the members of a group formed by Gov. Kay Ivey to study gambling likely understand the thicket of legal and political questions ahead of them after a meeting on Thursday. The Governor's Study Group on Gambling Policy assembled for its first gathering to sign ethics pledges and hear a lengthy presentation from the governor's office about current gambling law in the state. The group is, in Ivey's words, charged with gathering the "facts" about gambling in Alabama — what's here; what's in other states, and the pluses and minuses of bringing what's there here. "The question is, what revenues have these states seen?" said Erica McKay, deputy general counsel for the governor's office. "And what benefits and costs have these states seen?" The panel includes former U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin and former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Jim Main. Former Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange, who is chairing the group, said he believed the groups purpose was to look beyond the current laws to assess the potential impact of expanded gambling. "It’s not so much worrying about what the law says today as what we think is the best benefit for the state of Alabama," he said. Alabama's constitution bans most forms of gambling in the absence of local amendments authorizing it, and the state is one of a handful that does not have a lottery. The Poarch Band of Creek Indians, a federally-recognized tribe operating under federal law, runs casinos in Atmore, Montgomery and Wetumpka that offer electronic bingo. Dog tracks such as VictoryLand in Macon County and GreeneTrack in Greene County also offer electronic bingo, though the Alabama Supreme Court has read the local amendments very narrowly and put their legal status in jeopardy. Attempts to establish a lottery and resolve the status of gambling at the dog tracks have into mutual antagonism between the Poarch Band and the dog tracks over the proper approaches. Legislators representing areas with dog tracks — often large employers in those communities — have conditioned their support for a lottery on settling the status of the dog tracks. Most of the meeting was devoted to a presentation from Will Parker, general counsel for Gov. Ivey, outlining the laws on gambling in the state and existing gambling. Parker pointed to Section 65 of the 1901 Alabama Constitution, which bans lotteries and gift enterprises. Parker said "lottery" had a larger legal definition than the one we think of. "When we use the word lottery colloquially, we think of a certain kind of game, going to a gas station in Georgia and buying a ticket ... that term is much broader," he said. "It’s been read as a very broad prohibition against gambling in our state." Republican members of the House and Senate said prior to the session they wanted to tackle all aspects of gambling. House Ways and Means General Fund chair Steve Clouse, R-Ozark, says he plans to file a constitutional amendment that would authorize a state lottery, with money going to pre-kindergarten programs and financial aid for college. In her first major break with the legislature since becoming governor, Ivey announced the formation of her gambling study group in February's State of the State address, saying she needed "facts" and a clear understanding of the status of gambling before moving forward. Legislative leaders have signaled they may move ahead with a lottery — the governor has no role in passage of a constitutional amendment — but negotiation of a gambling compact with the Poarch Band, a prerequisite to the the tribe offering slot machines and traditional table games, would be in Ivey's hands. More: Gov. Kay Ivey: No tribal compact before she gets 'facts' on gambling Ivey signaled last month she would not pursue a compact before the group's final report, expected before the end of the year. Members of the committee signed ethics pledges saying they had no intent to profit from their service and knew of no conflicts of interest. The members of the group are not being compensated. Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Brian Lyman at 334-240-0185 or blyman@gannett.com.

Gov. Kay Ivey: No tribal compact before she gets 'facts' on gambling Gov. Kay Ivey said Wednesday she would not consider any gaming compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians before a group brings her “the facts” on the potential impact of gambling in Alabama. In an interview with reporters on Wednesday morning, Ivey said she was reluctant to join efforts in the Alabama Legislature to come up with a settlement of lottery and gambling issues before getting a sense of the financial return such a settlement might bring. “Anytime I ask people how much money the lottery would bring in, they say ‘I think about …,’” the governor said. “We’ve got to have the facts to make a decision.” But the sponsor of a lottery bill in the House said he still planned to pursue the measure in the current session, saying the November presidential election was the best possible chance to pass it. "I'm going to give it a couple of weeks before I introduce it," said House Ways and Means General Fund chair Steve Clouse, R-Ozark. "But I'm still going to introduce it. Hopefully next week at this time we'll sit and talk." Ivey also defended her plan to contract with private companies to build and lease three new men’s prisons. The governor said the “executive branch” had to take the lead after the Legislature failed to pass bond issues for new prisons in 2016 and 2017. She blamed those failures on legislators’ concerns about the local impact of closing prisons. “The Legislature took two sessions to deal with floating a bond issue for prisons,” she said. “Both times it failed. You can’t blame legislators because they don’t want to lose utility payments that’s in their district because of the prison.” During the interview, Ivey also repeated calls in her State of the State for voters to approve a constitutional amendment that would replace the current elected State Board of Education with one appointed by the governor, which she argues could lead to better outcomes. The governor also appeared to defer to the Legislature on any policy changes to address overcrowding in the state’s prisons, which has led to her prison construction plan. Democratic and Republican legislators before the session appeared interested in pursuing a state lottery and possibly a settlement of issues between the Poarch Band, who operate casinos in Atmore, Montgomery, and Wetumpka, and dog tracks like VictoryLand in Macon County and GreeneTrack in Greene County. Clouse's lottery proposal would split funds between the state’s pre-kindergarten program and a fund to help pay college tuition. Clouse estimates the lottery would bring in $167 million — roughly 2% of the state’s $7.1 billion budget. The Poarch Band of Creek Indians has also suggested a grand gambling plan could bring upwards of $1 billion into the state. Ivey on Tuesday announced the formation of a working group, which she said would aim to get hard numbers on the impact of gambling. She said Wednesday has not met with the Poarch Band about a compact and said she spoke with Clouse yesterday about her proposed working group. “I said ‘Steve, I’m not asking you to withdraw your bill. I’m telling you what I’m going to do, and I invite you to consider what I’m going to do, and maybe join me,’” Ivey said. “'If it turns out like you think it will, it will be a stronger case for you.'” Clouse confirmed the conversation but said he thought the lottery proposal had been gone over. "I don't see where there's any reason to put the lottery in the study," he said. "There's 45 other states that have studied it." The governor said she expected a report by the end of the year. “But if they get through sooner, that’ll be fine too,” she said. Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston, said Tuesday he wanted to a see a report within the next six months. Clouse said he wanted to get his measure on the ballot this year. "The November election when we're voting for resident is the highest turnout," Clouse said. "I think that's where it ought to be." More: Ivey calls for prison overhaul, cools gambling talk in State of State Ivey does not have a constitutional role in a lottery amendment, which would go straight to the voters if approved by the Alabama Legislature. But she would be responsible for negotiating a compact with the Poarch Band. Asked if she was skeptical about the benefits of gambling, Ivey said “Philosophically, there is a principle in public policy that says never fund an essential service of government with an unsteady source of funding.” “I think that’s a fair statement,” she said. The proposed prison construction would erect three new men’s facilities, holding upwards of 4,000 inmates. Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn has pushed for new facilities for years, arguing that most current prisons are beyond their useful life and unable to provide the programming needed to combat recidivism. But legislators in the past have balked at the price tag and the potential cost. Ivey said Wednesday she would let the Legislature decide any sentencing reform proposals but said construction would come from her office. “As far as building the buildings, there’s not a role for them,” she said. “If we’re going to build and lease and payback, what role do they have? We’re doing this through the executive branch working with the Legislature. We’ve got a multifaceted problem that requires a multifaceted solution.” Proposals for construction are due on April 30. Candidates to build the prisons could be selected later this summer. Ivey also urged a vote to approve Amendment 1 on March 3. The Alabama Republican Party opposes the measure, and experts aren’t sure that it would lead to better outcomes. But Ivey said maintaining “the same structure” of education would not do anything to raise Alabama’s test scores. “I’d invite anybody who’s concerned about the challenge of education in the future in the state to be for something very positive to improve education,” she said. Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Brian Lyman at 334-240-0185 or blyman@gannett.com.

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Tan Tock Seng Hospital Staff Across All Departments Are Working Tirelessly Amidst Coronavirus Outbreak The 2003 SARS outbreak had shown Singaporeans just how admirable our healthcare staff are in times of crisis. Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), which houses the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID), then stood under the spotlight. Now back under scrutiny, the hospital management decided to give people a peep into what goes on inside. Photos of TTSH staff across all departments working hard amidst the novel coronavirus outbreak garnered thousands of shares overnight on Saturday (8 Feb). Source Here’s a look at our everyday heroes at work. Nurses keeping themselves healthy while caring for others While doctors deserve praise for helping to heal patients, a lot of what they do wouldn’t be possible without the assistance of countless nurses who scurry around to ensure everything is in order. TTSH emphasised this through photos of nurses going about their duties, like this nurse gearing up and putting on a surgical mask. Source Since the risk of infection is more imminent for them, they also need to wear protective goggles for extra caution. Source Having all that gear on and running around the hospital to attend to patients’ needs can be very exhausting, as proved by this nurse gulping down water. Source And then it’s back to more rounds in and out of hospital wards, a physical labour not many of us would consider when thinking about healthcare workers’ plights. Employees from other departments also hard at work Of course, the hospital doesn’t run on the medical staff alone. Hundreds of workers from other departments also keep TTSH in operation, putting their own health at risk too. People doing the laundry for example, have to clean all the patients’ linen and ensure everything is spotless for the next person who checks in. Source Pharmacists have to distribute the correct medication according to patients’ needs, and their attention to detail is particularly crucial to ensure no mistakes. Source Service staff the first faces you see at Tan Tock Seng Hospital Before you even enter the premises to witness all the above, service staff like this security officer will greet you. Source Staff at the information counter help visitors navigate their way around. Imagine the sheer number of people they have to interact with on a regular basis, yet they continue to do so wholeheartedly. Source Let’s salute our healthcare heroes All hospital staff, regardless of what they do, deserve our appreciation for their unwavering dedication to their work. They come to the hospital every day despite risking their own health, to help so many others in need. Source They work tirelessly for hours on end with little rest in a job that requires a lot of physical and mental tenacity, despite occasionally receiving undue criticism from people. Let’s thank our healthcare workers for their efforts, because we wouldn’t be able to manage a crisis without them. They truly are our heroes. Featured image adapted from Facebook and Facebook.

Making it the first homegrown aircraft to land on an aircraft carrier deck, a prototype of the naval Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) ‘trapped’ on the Indian Navy’s sole aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya on Saturday, 11 January out in the Arabian Sea. Hailed as a major milestone, the Indian Navy has declared:

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A child, wearing a protective face mask, following an outbreak of coronavirus, gets her temperature checked in... Read More NEW DELHI: Japan has issued a demarche to India asking it to review its decision to cancel all e-visas to Japanese nationals. Apparently upset that it has been clubbed with countries like Iran, Italy and South Korea, Japan has conveyed to India that a blanket ban on visas is going to hurt economic engagement with India including work on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train which has a 2023 deadline.Japan, in fact, has also asked India to at least not block visas for Japanese engineers and other workers directly involved in bullet train work. ToI has learnt that Japanese authorities are trying to approach both health minister Harsh Vardhan and foreign minister S Jaishankar to emphasise before them the need to take an "objective" view of the situation.India has cancelled all e-visas for nationals of Japan, South Korea, Italy and Iran as it works to prevent the spread of coronavirus Japan though has told Indian authorities that while South Korea had 5328 cases of infection, Italy 2502 and Iran 2336, Japan only was dealing with 284 such cases as of March 4, 2020, as per WHO. Japan also last week helped India evacuate 119 Indian nationals who were on board the Covid-19 infected Diamond Princess cruise ship.Indian government sources said they were working to address concerns raised by Japan. "Their people are worried that if they step out of the country, they won't be allowed to return. But as we have said, they can still apply for visas with the Indian mission," said a source.There are more than 1400 Japanese companies active in India. Japan also wants India to consider the cases involving family members of Japanese workers as they are are unable to visit Japan for the fear of not being able to return to India.While India has said that Japanese nationals can still seek visa from the embassy in Tokyo, it seems easier said than done. "There's effectively a ban on all visas as the visa officials are reluctant to issue any visa keeping in mind the coronavirus scare," said a source who didn't want to be quoted.The visas ban has come as a surprise to Japanese authorities as India otherwise looks at Japan as perhaps the most important partner for its economic transformation. As the MEA says, Japanese ODA supports India’s efforts for accelerated economic development particularly in priority areas like power, transportation, environmental projects and projects related to basic human needs.Apart from the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail , Japan is also helping India build the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC), the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor with twelve industrial townships and the Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC). They are all seen by the Indian government as landmark projects which can transform India in the next 10 years.

After Japan's strong demarche, India has assured Japan that the visa restrictions won't come in the way of essential travels including business-related visits. Japan also, according to sources, has expressed confidence that India will be able to manage the situation, keeping in mind the strong economic ties and the large presence of Japanese professionals working on projects in India.The Indian embassy in Tokyo , and also the consulate in Osaka , has assured locals that they will continue to facilitate essential visits including those for business and employment through a ``revised visa process’’ made available on its website. In a tweet, the Indian embassy requested understanding of visa seekers, keeping in mind the Covid-19 situation.There are as many as 1441 Japanese countries currently doing business in India. Japan is also India’s most important development partner which continues to contribute enormously to socio-economic development in India.The Indian side too is aware that visa restrictions imposed on Japanese individuals can delay work even on flagship projects like the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train which is currently hard-pressed to meet its 2023 deadline.Japan though has been upset that it was clubbed with countries like South Korea, Iran and Italy by India in cancelling e-visas for people from infected countries. Japan has reported over 1150 cases of Covid-19 but almost 700 of these are from the Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined off the coast of Yokohama. The number of locally infected cases is around 450 only while in Iran, Italy and South Korea it runs into thousands.According to MEA, Japan has been extending bilateral loan and grant assistance to India since 1958 and is the largest bilateral donor for India. Japanese ODA supports India’s efforts for accelerated economic development particularly in priority areas like power, transportation, environmental projects and projects related to basic human needs. Japan’s ODA Commitment in 2018-19 was at an all-time high of JPY 522.405 billion.

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Things to Do: Take in Unity Concert, Kristin Chenoweth, bagpipes and Children's Day SUNDAY Music for the Maid of Orleans at Unity Concert Tallahassee Community Chorus presents its annual Unity Concert at 4 p.m. Sunday in Ruby Diamond Concert Hall. Unity 15: Voice of Light will celebrate the power of female heroism with a performance of Richard Einhorn's powerful oratorio “Voices of Light” alongside a screening of Carl Dreyer’s 1928 silent film masterpiece “The Passion of Joan of Arc.” The Florida State University Women’s Glee ensemble will join the chorus for this performance. Note: Some scenes in the film may not be suitable for younger viewers. Tickets range from $6 to $22, and attendees are also asked to bring a donation of nonperishable foods, paper supplies, craft supplies or office supplies to benefit The Oasis Center for Women & Girls and Refuge House. Visit www.tcchorus.org or call 850-597-0603. TUESDAY Music: Kristin Chenoweth goes for 'Elegance' Opening Nights presents Emmy and Tony award-winning actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth performing songs from her album “The Art of Elegance,” a collection of American Songbook classics, Broadway and well-known standards, at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Ruby Diamond Concert Hall. Chenoweth is a classically trained coloratura soprano who originated the role of Glinda the Good Witch in the Broadway blockbuster “Wicked,” for which she was nominated for a Tony Award (she won a Tony for her role in “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown”). She’s also familiar to TV viewers as Olive Snook in the series “Pushing Daisies (for which she won an Emmy), as media consultant Annabelle Schott in “The West Wing” and for repeat appearances on “Glee.” Tickets are $80 and $65. Visit https://openingnights.fsu.edu/events/kristin-chenoweth/. THURSDAY Music: Bagpipe delights If you were fortunate enough to catch the Silk Road Ensemble’s Opening Nights performance featuring Yo-Yo Ma and a host of international musical maestros in 2017, you will recognize Cristina Pato. She and her gaita — a Galician bagpipe — helped weave the cross-cultural spell that captivated the audience in Ruby Diamond Concert Hall. Pato returns with her quartet for an Opening Nights performance at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Opperman Music Hall. The wide-ranging program will fuse the influences of Latin music, jazz, pop, traditional and contemporary music. Tickets are $45. Saturday Museum: Children's Day Celebration The Museum of Florida History, 500 S. Bronough St., is hosting its 37th Annual Children’s Day Celebration: History on the Horizon event from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. The Museum hosts a fun filled day for families and children of all ages with free performances, exhibitors, games, and its newest temporary exhibit, Florida Inspired. Enjoy live performances by the Tallahassee Ballet, Capital City Music Therapy, Young Actors Theater, and others. BJ’s Party House returns this year with face painting and balloon art. Dozens of exhibitors offering hands-on learning and free activities will be set up throughout the Museum and R. A. Gray Building. Free parking is available in the garage next to the Museum. Face painting and balloon art tickets can be purchased on site. Proceeds support educational programs at the Museum of Florida History. All other activities are free. Follow the Museum’s social media pages and website or call 850-245-6400 for more information. Never miss a story: Subscribe to the Tallahassee Democrat.

Naples man killed in motorcycle crash near Arcadia A Naples man was killed driving his motorcycle near Arcadia on Saturday, Florida Highway Patrol reports. At 5:18 p.m., Daniel Krall, 73, crashed into a ditch after failing to make a left turn on NW Lily Avenue, south of NW Bethel Farms Road, the report states. The motorcycle flipped after the collision. Krall was not wearing a helmet, the report states. More: Naples firefighter responds to crash, finds vehicle stolen from her driveway in December

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Richard Froese South Peace News Times for slower speed limits in school zones could be extended daylong across the High Prairie School Division. At its regular meeting Dec. 18, the HPSD board of trustees supported a request from the High Prairie and Area Traffic Safety Coalition, says an HPSD news release dated Jan. 3. The coalition requested the division support in its endeavour to change the current school zones times in Slave Lake, High Prairie, and Big Lakes County from its current format to a full-day format of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Motorists must not drive more than 30 km/hr when school zones are in effect. School zones are currently in effect during school days from 8-9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 3 – 4:30 p.m. Falher is 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Board hears of success from Success Trustees learned about progress of Indigenous Success coaches and the Success lead. They described how their team is supporting the development of Indigenous content in the classroom, the divisional professional development learning series and how Indigenous Success coaches are working in the classroom with students and teaching staff. Success coaches also work on cultural arts and Cree literacy, growth of the HPSD land-based learning program, Youth Council for Reconciliation and community collaborations. Trips receive board’s blessing The board gave final approval to a divisional trip to the Soaring Indigenous Youth Empowerment Gathering set for March 5-6 in Ottawa. Students in schools across the division will be eligible. The trip is being co-ordinated by the division’s Success lead. A field trip to Greece for Kinuso School was given final approval. The trip, open to students from Grades 9-12, is set for March 19-28, part of spring break, March 21-27.

Richard Froese South Peace News Priorities have been set by the High Prairie School Division board of trustees in its updated three-year education plan. At its regular meeting Dec. 18, the board adopted the priorities and three-year plan, says a news release dated Jan. 3. “We continue to use school and community planning sessions, survey data, and interviews with students, staff, parents, and community members to give us some excellent perspectives on what we are doing well and where we can improve,” says Joyce Dvornek, who chairs the board. “Data is then incorporated into targeted strategies to facilitate student success and subsequently improve their achievement results.” Initiatives stem from priorities identified by the board at its strategic planning. Priorities for 2019-20 focus on quality learning, teaching and relationships. HPSD will ensure learning success for every student. Staff will grow and strive for a culture of excellence to ensure teaching and leadership success. Quality relationships with parents, local communities, including Indigenous, municipalities, and government ministries will ensure success and supports are in place for every student. Among the priorities for the new three school years ending in 2022 are as follows:

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Indian Software-as-a-Service companies are speeding up forays into non-mainstay regions such as Japan and Latin America, as selling business software in advanced economies other than North America becomes increasingly important in taking the battle to market leaders such as Salesforce and Microsoft North America, which includes Canada, remains the key target market for most companies, but clients have emerged in Singapore, Indonesia and Japan, as well as some countries in Latin America and Africa. The global SaaS business, dominated by the North American market, is slated to grow at a 16% clip to $116 billion this year, according to market research firm Gartner . Indian firms are aiming to diversify focus on the Rest-of-the-World markets. The market expansion coincides with a push towards a platform play – creating a common design and engineering base from which products can be developed to meet a quicker time-tomarket paradigm.At the Sridhar Vembu-led Zoho, organising user events is one way to test new markets. Raju Vegesna, chief evangelist at Zoho, said the company will enter the Brazilian market this year and will expand its team in Colombia, besides bolstering its presence in Chile.In 2019, it had a hectic pace of market evaluation with 33 user conferences across 25 countries.It is also close to hiring its first set of employees in South Africa.Zoho entered The Netherlands, Singapore, Dubai, Mexico and Australia last year.The broad strokes of Zoho’s expansion model, according to Vegesna, were a predictive play on the next wave of growth.“If you overlap the GDP growth in a country with the median age, an interesting trend/theme will be noticeable: whenever the median age of a country is between 25 and 40, GDP of that country accelerates, sometimes exponentially. Part of it can be attributed to the acceleration of business formation, and job creation as a result. As the market expands and business formation accelerates, software and other vendors enter those regions...,” he said.Chennai-incubated Freshworks entered Japan last year by tying up with regional player OrangeOne Corporation It seeks to replicate the re-seller model during other possible market entries, too.“We had setup a robust partner network before we entered the region in March last year with a regional hub in Singapore,” Freshworks’ regional spokesperson told, adding it would continue to invest in the ASEAN region.The Mathrubootham-founded Freshworks, headquartered in San Mateo, California, is reportedly in a growth push before going public in the United States. SaaS firms, which sell a gamut of products aiding customer relationship management to workflow automation, have also discovered the potential in ‘platformising’ technology, not dissimilar to the way a basic automotive design is parlayed into different car variants.

(MENAFN- IMARC Group) According to the latest report by IMARC Group, titled 'Digital Pathology Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2020-2025,' the global digital pathology market size reached US$ 520.6 Million in 2019. Digital pathology refers to the technique of analyzing high-resolution, digitally scanned histology images generated from a digitized glass slide. The specialized equipment was first used to capture images from a microscope onto photographic plates. In recent years, digital pathology has rapidly gained momentum as this technology helps in reducing laboratory expenses, improving operational efficiency, enhancing productivity, and improving treatment decisions and patient care. Request Free Sample Report: https://www.imarcgroup.com/digital-pathology-market/requestsample Global Digital Pathology Market Trends: Digital pathology allows improved analysis, offers live zoom and multiple angle views, provides a dashboard view of data and annotations, and reduces errors by eliminating breakage and minimizing risk and misidentification. Apart from this, it is increasingly used by top clinical research organizations (CROs) and large biopharmaceutical manufacturers to streamline drug development processes in discovery, pre-clinical and clinical trials. This, along with the advancements in technology and software applications, such as the whole slide imaging technique, and LIS/LIMS interfacing, and high-speed networking, has fully integrated digital pathology into pathology workflows. Moreover, many leading companies are entering into a partnership to gain more profits. For instance, Huron Digital Pathology has collaborated with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) on artificial intelligence-based image search. This helps in presenting a pathologist-centric approach to image retrieval at pathology informatics. Looking forward, the market value is projected to reach US$ 984.4 Million by 2025, registering a CAGR of 11.2 % during 2020-2025. Market Breakup by Type: •Human Pathology •Veterinary Pathology Market Breakup by Product: •Scanners •Software •Storage Systems •Communication Systems Market Breakup by Application: •Training and Education •Consulting Services •Intraoperative Consultation •Routine Diagnostic Consultation Services •Others Market Breakup by End-User: •Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies •Hospitals and Reference Laboratories •Academic & Research Institutes Market Summary: Region-wise, the market has been segmented into North America (the United States and Canada) Asia Pacific (China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia and others), Europe (Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Italy, Russia and others), Middle East and Africa (Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and others ), and Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Columbia, Chile, Peru and others). The competitive landscape of the market has been examined, with some of the key players being: •3DHISTECH Ltd. •Apollo Enterprise Imaging Corp •Corista LLC •Hamamatsu Photonics •K. K. •Huron Digital Pathology •Indica Labs •Koninklijke Philips N.V. •Leica Biosystems Nussloch GmbH •Objective Pathology Services •Ventana Medical Systems •Visiopharm A/S •XIFIN Ask Analyst and Download Full Report with TOC & List of Figure: https://www.imarcgroup.com/digital-pathology-market About Us IMARC Group is a leading market research company that offers management strategy and market research worldwide. We partner with clients in all sectors and regions to identify their highest-value opportunities, address their most critical challenges, and transform their businesses. Contact Us IMARC Group Tel: +1-631-791-1145 Email: Website: https://www.imarcgroup.com Follow us on twitter: @imarcglobal MENAFN1703202000709559ID1099866092

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The fascination many young people have with socialism represents an understandable misunderstanding of injustice and its remedies. How can we stem the tide of socialism’s popularity with young people? Not that long ago, young people cheered this era’s greatest champion of liberty, Dr. Ron Paul, and his ideas of no income tax and an end to foreign wars. Thousands of young people on college campuses found liberty, not collectivism, exhilarating, and they shouted “End the Fed.” But this political season, the complete socialization of medical care, “Medicare for All,” is perhaps the most effective tool used by demagogues to lure the support of the young. Is it possible to draw young people away from these chilling ideas, and lead them to embrace liberty? Rather than speculate about why so many of today’s youth are enamored with collectivist ideology, why not inoculate them with a dose of freedom? Socialist booth at Art Walk in downtown Tulsa. One sure way to end the love affair so many young people have with socialism would be to stop making them pay for it; why not let them opt out of Medicare (and Social Security for that matter)? Paychecks would swell, and what politician would dare to advocate for reinstating these taxes? It is no wonder so many of today’s youth are confused when so many of their elders are supporters of “Medicare for Some,” but opponents of “Medicare for All.” After all, if a little socialism is a good thing, why not a full dose? The most predictable objection to this plan should be: “But what if young people don’t save voluntarily for their old age and future medical requirements?” The most frequent objection, however, goes something like this: “How will that revenue be replaced?” This, of course, is an admission that current “contributions” to Medicare (and Social Security) by workers are consumed by current beneficiaries, the very definition of a Ponzi scheme. The forced contributions of those beneficiaries were spent the instant they were taken. There is no “lock box,” and no pension plan owned by individual “beneficiaries.” Recognizing the fraud of Bernie Madoff saved countless individuals from his thievery. No such option or courtesy is currently presented to us by Uncle Sam. “How will that revenue be replaced” is a consistent theme that permeates the state, as I’ve been told this same question is commonplace among district attorneys facing the relaxation of marijuana laws and penalties. Selfless “angels” with state power are as fictional as the “not for profit” status of hospitals in the U.S., after all. It would be cruel, of course, to suddenly end or hamstring a government program upon which millions of individuals are hopelessly dependent. How to fund an opt out/phase out has been addressed in the past with recommendations, for instance, that the federal government sell the lakefront property over which it has control, the proceeds funding annuities to sustain for life those who depend on these federal entitlements. If Uncle Sam can’t stomach selling assets, perhaps the D.C. machine could consider the unthinkable and spend less, say on foreign aid or war. I rarely find someone, regardless of age, who would not gladly forgo any future benefit from Medicare or Social Security, and just write off their past “contributions” (tax payments) in return for freedom from paycheck-destroying future “contributions.” It is not uncommon, after all, for the Medicare and Social Security paycheck deduction to exceed all other paycheck deductions combined, particularly when the undisclosed employer “contribution” (which is the employee’s earnings, after all) has been considered. All Millennial-bashers who want to stop the surge of young people’s fascination with socialism should consider promoting an opt out of these programs for people of all ages, so they can see the effect a lack of socialism has on their take-home pay. Medicare for All will then be the last thing any beneficiaries of such an opt out will tolerate, much less want. The least we can do is extend at least a portion of the tax-exempt status many giant U.S. hospitals enjoy to today’s and tomorrow’s young, about whom we claim to care so much, whose ideas will shape the future. Dr. G. Keith Smith About the author: Dr. G. Keith Smith is a board certified anesthesiologist in private practice since 1990. In 1997, he co-founded The Surgery Center of Oklahoma, an outpatient surgery center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, owned by over 90 of the top physicians and surgeons in central Oklahoma. Dr. Smith serves as the medical director, CEO and managing partner while maintaining an active anesthesia practice. In 2009, Dr. Smith launched a website displaying all-inclusive pricing for various surgical procedures, a move that has gained him and the facility, national and even international attention. Many Canadians and uninsured Americans have been treated at his facility, taking advantage of the low and transparent pricing available. His most recent effort is the launch of the Free Market Medical Association which provides a platform where those seeking to obtain high quality and affordable health care can find free market-minded providers, both physicians and facilities. Operation of this free market medical practice, the standard for all who have embraced this practice approach, has gained the endorsement of policymakers and legislators nationally. More and more self-funded insurance plans are taking advantage of Dr. Smith’s pricing model resulting in significant savings to their employee health plans. His hope is for as many facilities as possible to adopt a transparent pricing model, a move he believes will lower costs and improve quality of care for all. He has made appearances on the John Stossel Show, CNBC, Huffington Post, The O’Reilly Factor, Capital Account, The Ron Paul Channel, NBC Nightly News and has been featured by Reason Magazine’s TV division. The New York Times, Time Magazine, ABC news, Forbes and many others have written articles featuring Dr. Smith’s revolutionary approach to the pricing of health care and uncompromising free market principles.

As a pediatrician, I see every day how my patients and their families are failed by our current healthcare system. What I need my fellow Americans to understand is this: when my patients struggle, it’s not because they’re unfortunate. It’s because the system is unjust. I’ve cared for diabetic teenagers who’ve rationed insulin and test strips because their family doesn’t have enough money to buy prescriptions, supplies, and groceries. I’ve cared for college students who are dropping out of school because their family needs someone to care for a grandparent, and the costs of long-term care and college tuition are just too much to bear. I’ve cared for mothers and newborns who lost their insurance coverage simply because they moved across state lines to be closer to family. Sometimes grandparents bring my patients to clinic, and I see how they tape up their eyeglasses because Medicare does not cover vision and they can’t afford new frames until the next Social Security check comes in. Many of my patients with complex pre-existing conditions, and supposedly “good” insurance from their parents’ employment, face ridiculous obstacle courses from insurance companies just to get basic care like imaging or consultations with therapists. There’s a big difference between what’s unfortunate and what’s unjust, especially in health care. It’s terribly unfortunate to be diagnosed with cancer. It is unjust that getting diagnosed with cancer often means losing your job because you’re too sick to work, and losing the health insurance that came with that job. Insurance you paid into with every paycheck and that was supposed to be there for you if the worst happened. "Thousands of doctors like me strongly support Medicare for All. We are joining millions of people who understand the difference between what’s unfortunate and what’s unjust." It’s unfortunate to be diagnosed with diabetes as a teenager. It’s unjust that many diabetic patients ration insulin while Big Pharma corporations make exorbitant profits off a drug that’s almost a hundred years old. It’s terribly unfortunate to develop Alzheimer’s or multiple sclerosis. It’s unjust that insurance companies bill families thousands and thousands of dollars a month for the most basic long-term care, all while the workers providing that care are paid poverty wages. Right now, our unjust health care system helps you only after it deems you worthy or deserving of medical services. People’s eligibility for Medicaid or for assistance with purchasing private insurance largely depends on what state they live in and how much they earn. State governments often make enrollment difficult in order to deter people from enrolling in coverage. One mistake on a form or a misunderstood deadline can cause patients to lose coverage. The financial hurdles of premiums, deductibles, and co-pays are unjust obstacles for millions of us. SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT Never Miss a Beat. Get our best delivered to your inbox. These hurdles are not labyrinths of misfortune. They are injustices, particularly cumbersome for low-income families and people of color who unsurprisingly make up 59 percent of the uninsured. We don’t have to live like this. Thousands of doctors like me strongly support Medicare for All. We are joining millions of people who understand the difference between what’s unfortunate and what’s unjust. Right now, patients who survive cancer are often left struggling with financial ruin. Diabetics are torn between paying for insulin or their rent. Medicare for All ends those injustices by significantly reducing the prices of drugs like chemotherapy and insulin. Medicare for All provides patients with reliable, comprehensive coverage regardless of their employment status. "There's a big difference between what’s unfortunate and what's unjust, especially in health care." Continuous, reliable coverage is particularly important for people of color, who are becoming the majority of the U.S. population and bear undue burdens of illness and disparities. The Medicare for All legislation in Congress will address inequities in health care, including by stabilizing funding for all hospitals and clinics. Medicare for All will cover vision care, so that the grandparents in my clinic can get new glasses. Medicare for All will be portable, so families can move from state to state or job to job without having to worry about insurance coverage. Medicare for All will cover long-term services and supports, so seniors and people with disabilities can live with dignity at home and in their communities. But to build Medicare for All it’s going to take all of us. Together, we can fight Big Pharma, the insurance industry, and all their lobbyists. Together, we will create a Medicare for All system that will deliver real health justice for every person in America, no matter what you earn, where you live, or what you look like.

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A woman who lost her husband to her own mother has said she will never fully forgive her for taking him away and then having his child. Lauren Wall, who's now 34, and from Twickenham, south-west London married airport worker Paul White when she was just 19. Her mum Julie, who is now 53, paid for a £15,000 wedding and grateful Lauren took her along on her two-week honeymoon to Devon. Eight weeks later, husband Paul moved out and nine months later, her mother Julie gave birth to his child announcing they were together. Lauren said: 'Paul always got on really well with mum. I never thought it strange though, as she was his mum-in-law and he was just being friendly. Lauren Wall, from Twickenham, south-west London, who's now 34 got married to husband Paul when she was just 19. Just weeks later her husband moved out and was soon with Lauren's mum, Julie 'They'd laugh a lot together. I didn't think to be worried at all. Who would? 'I couldn't wait to settle in to marriage but the ink was barely dry on our certificate when Paul changed. Lauren added her new husband became protective of his phone. Four weeks later Lauren's sister was using her mum's phone and found what Lauren claims were texts between Julie and Paul. Her mother denied there was anything going on saying, 'You're crazy.' 'When I confronted Paul he went white as a sheet – and refused to let me see his phone,' Lauren said. Only days later, Paul removed his wedding ring and walked out on Lauren and their seven-month-old daughter. When she heard he had moved in with her mum she said she couldn't believe the two people she loved and trusted more than anything in the world would treat her in such a way. In July 2005 nine months after Paul had walked out, Lauren's mum, Julie, gave birth to his baby. Five years on from his marriage to Lauren, Paul married Julie (the couple are pictured here in 2019 in Kuala Lumpur) 'It was sick. It's one of the worst things a mum can do to a daughter. Paul may have been a gutless groom but she's my mum. She's meant to love and protect me above all others.' Lauren, a business development manager met Paul when he was 18: 'I met him at a local pub – I fancied him straight away. 'He asked for my number and the next day he texted asking to go on a date to the cinema. We started going out straight after that.' She quickly found herself pregnant and their daughter was born in March 2004, the pair marrying shortly afterwards. 'Five months later we were getting married in a beautiful church ceremony with friends and family. Mum looked on proudly as we exchanged vows. 'He told me that he wanted to be with me for ever.' Lauren recalled how after Paul walked out she heard rumours he was living with her mother and she saw Julie walking down the street, apparently pregnant. Julie, 53, (pictured) said: 'We are married. We didn't have an affair. We are married and that's it.' Paul, now 35, declined to comment Lauren said: 'When I saw her in the street and noticed she had a bump, my mind raced. She clutched her stomach and told me, 'It's a cyst'. I felt so sick, I went home and destroyed all the photos of our wedding.' She also set about getting a divorce. In July 2005 nine months after Paul had walked out, Lauren's mum, Julie, gave birth to his baby. 'She tried to claim the father was another boyfriend but I knew the truth. Paul and mum officially announced themselves as a couple that summer and my world crumbled.' Five years on from his marriage to Lauren, Paul married Julie. Lauren even ended up going along to her mum's wedding for the sake of her daughter. 'She rang me up and invited me. It was awkward. I got married on the 14th August 2004, they married on the 15th August 2009. 'It was almost too much to bear but I did it for my daughter. 'I went to watch Mum marry the same man I'd wed five years earlier. Lauren said her mother has tried to build bridges but she sees her infrequently. 'She initiated it. I dropped my brother off at her house and she got in my car, started crying and just said, 'I'm sorry'. 'I told her, 'Get out of my car'. She wrote me a letter a couple of weeks later apologising. 'And that was the start of us mending our relationship.' Lauren has recently found a new partner (couple pictured together) and is now happily pregnant with her fourth child but says what happened will give her 'trust issues' for the rest of her life That was in 2006 and the pair still fall out. 'I still bring it up and make a comment and she doesn't like it. 'Just because we spoke after doesn't mean I'm over it. Paul never said sorry or tried to apologise to me. I speak to him as he's married to my mum. I've asked him before to explain to our daughter and he just says it's forgotten about now.' Her mother, who works in child services remains married to her former son-in-law. Lauren has recently found a new partner and is now happily pregnant with her fourth child but says what happened will give her 'trust issues' for the rest of her life. 'Time is a great healer, and mum and I have tried to have a normal relationship. But we will never be as close as we were – and I'll never fully trust her again.' Julie, 53, said: 'We are married. We didn't have an affair. We are married and that's it.' Paul, now 35, declined to comment.

A British lady who lost her husband to her own mother who then had a child for him has said she will never forgive her. The heartbroken lady identified as Lauren Wall, 34, from Twickenham, south-west London reportedly married the man when she was only 19. While they were preparing for their wedding at that time, Lauren’s mother reportedly paid £15,000 to support her dream wedding, and also joined the couple on vacation. According to Lauren, her mother and her now ex-husband got along so much that she couldn’t suspect that they were having an affair. But her biggest shock came, when Paul decided to move out and nine months later, her mother Julie gave birth to his child announcing they were together. READ ALSO – Nigerian Model, Chika Lann Throws Sister Out Of Her House For Allegedly Trying To Snatch Her Oyibo Husband Speaking in an interview with Daily Mail, Lauren said: ‘Paul always got on really well with mum. I never thought it strange though, as she was his mum-in-law and he was just being friendly. They’d laugh a lot together. I didn’t think to be worried at all. Who would?’ I couldn’t wait to settle into marriage but the ink was barely dry on our certificate when Paul changed.’ Lauren also disclosed how his sister saw text messages between her mom and her estranged husband. When Lauren confronted her mother, she denied there was anything going on saying, ‘You’re crazy.’ As things got out of hand between the pair, Paul stopped wearing his wedding ring and walked out on Lauren and their seven-month-old daughter. Sharing her first reaction when she heard that her man had moved in with her mum, said: ‘It was sick. It’s one of the worst things a mum can do to a daughter.’

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No reality in PTI-PML-Q rift: Firdous ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Tuesday said the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) was an ally of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) both at the Centre and in Punjab, and the opposition’s dreams of a rift between the two parties would not become a reality. Addressing a press conference flanked by Board of Investment (BoI) Chairman Zubair Gilani here, she said the PML-Q leadership knew that those who had ruined the national economy and gone abroad leaving their voters in problems, had no support of the people. She said Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari himself was a puppet whose strings were being pulled by the corrupt leadership. Bilawal blamed the Federal government for the inefficiency of Sindh government irrespective the fact that the PPP did not resolve the people’s problems in the province despite ruling it for the last 11 years, she added. To a question about alleged dual nationality of Federal Minister Faisal Vawda, she said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) did not give verdicts on the wishes of people. If someone had proofs against Vawda, he should knock the doors of ECP and if proven guilty, the government would stand by the law and not by its legislator. To another question, she said flour was available in Punjab but a section of the media was projecting only one-sided news. Stern action was being taken against the hoarders and anybody involved in the crime would not be spared. The prices of both flour and sugar would come down in next few days as the government has taken steps in that regard, she added. The SAPM said the unanimous approval of the names of Chief Election Commissioner and ECP members manifested that the Parliament was playing its due role as a true democratic institution. Both the government and the opposition showed responsibility and with consultation named the new CEC in the larger national interest.

A parliamentary committee met on Friday to decide on a person to become the new chief election commissioner but could not make a final decision. Another meeting has been called on Monday. The Islamabad High Court has given Parliament four extensions to decide who will become the CEC and to also appoint two members of the Election Commission of Pakistan. Government and opposition members sat together on Friday but could not reach a final decision. This was the committee’s 11th meeting on the matter. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Azam Swati said the new chief election commissioner’s name is in a sealed envelope that will be opened at 4pm on Monday during the next meeting. If there is no consensus on the name, then another meeting will be called on Tuesday to discuss the next step. Senator Mushahidullah of the PML-N said he is hopeful that they will reach a final decision on Monday. The names of Sikandar Sultan Raja for chief election commissioner, Nisar Durrani for the ECP member from Sindh and Shah Muhammad Jatoi for Balochistan were put forward.

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Illinois has been preparing a series of laws to collect more funds in 2020 which begins with the NCAA Tournament and all major sporting events. The Governor is pleased that Illinois sportsbooks will open for business by March Madness, generating revenue to rebuild universities, hospitals and other facilities across the state.” — Jordan Abudayehh, Illinois governor JB Pritzker’s press secretary SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS, UNITED STATES, March 9, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The long wait for the college basketball tournament is finally over in Illinois. The state has been preparing a series of laws to collect more funds in 2020 which begins with the NCAA Tournament and all major sporting events. The NCAA Tournament is most commonly referred to as “March Madness,” and it has become one of the most popular sporting events in the United States. Illinois governor JB Pritzker’s press secretary, Jordan Abudayehh, recently released a statement that things are on track to launch sports betting this month. The official statement read, “The Governor is pleased that Illinois sportsbooks will open for business by March Madness, generating revenue to rebuild universities, hospitals and other facilities across the state.” There has been speculation that sports betting would be launched at some point this spring, but this statement sets a pretty firm timeline for sports bettors in Illinois. State lawmakers in Illinois passed a huge gaming expansion bill in June 2019, with the support of Governor Pritzker, but things have progressed at a very slow rate since that time. It took Illinois another few months to come up with a set list of rules and regulations that would govern the gaming industry, and even more time to complete the application and licensure process. Illinois has currently issued three temporary gaming operating permits to a trio of casinos in the state. Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin, and Argosy Casino in Alton will be the first three casinos allowed to take sports betting on March Madness games. Rivers Casino in Des Plaines has already adjusted its operating hours, and it has employees in place to start taking bets as soon as it is given the green light. Anyone wishing to place some money on sports in Illinois will have to travel to one of these three locations to sign up for an account. After that time, customers can use the mobile apps that are offered by the casinos. Illinois lawmakers have imposed an 18-month waiting period for outside companies to apply for an operational license in the state. Rivers Casino in Des Plaines is now open 24 hours a day, and it has made several other upgrades to its establishment in preparation. The BetRivers Sports Bar opened up in December, and it will become the headquarters for sports enthusiasts at the site. The Illinois Gaming Board is the group that is operating the sportsbook industry, and it is currently meeting with all three casinos to discuss final details. Even though there is still no official date set for launch, it is expected some time before March 15. The first NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament games tip off on March 17, and the tournament will run through the first weekend in April.

Kelowna City Council endorsed budget carryover requests on Monday. They include $126-million in operating and capital carryover expenditures, which will be used for a number of projects due to be completed over the next two years. “As these projects were previously approved by Council, they do not add to the taxation demand for 2020,” said Melanie Antunes, Acting Financial Planning Manager. “The majority, 56%, will be funded through the City’s general fund sources and the remaining 44% come from self-funding sources such as the water utility, wastewater and the Airport funds.” Carryovers for 2020 include: The process to secure and outfit an RCMP Mobile Command Centre to enhance tactical support, search operations, communication needs and community outreach. Several items relating to the SEKID (South East Kelowna Irrigation District) integration project, supporting a resilient and high-quality water supply across the City Water Utility. Continuing to support our Healthy Housing Strategy through additional affordable housing land acquisition This is the second of three stages in the City’s annual budget process. The first was the provisional budget in December, followed by the carryovers this month and the final budget being presented on April 27. The final taxation demand increase will come in April, but Council approved a provisional taxation increase of 4.15% in December.

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East Mill Flow-Round Pond Trail, part of the Hammond Pond Wild Forest, extends 5.2 miles between Round Pond Trailhead and East Mill Flow Trailhead in the Sharp Bridge Campground. West of Round Pond, the trail is known as the East Mill Flow Trail, and south of Round Pond the trail is known as the Round Pond Trail. The trail undulates gently over most of the distance, descending 295 feet in a 0.6-mile section before the last flat 0.6 mile along Schroon Brook to the campground. Measuring from the Round Pond Trailhead, the trail passes Trout Pond at 0.5-mile, Round Pond at 1.5 miles, and crosses East Mill Brook at 2.8 miles. This picturesque trail provides skiers and snowshoers a chance for solitude on a lesser traveled path. Trailhead parking: East Mill Flow Trailhead is located in the Sharp Bridge Campground off US Route 9 and is plowed for winter use. Round Pond Trailhead Parking Area is located along Ensign Pond Road (County Route 4) off US Route 9. This parking area is also plowed for winter use. (44.0239°N, 73.6234°W) Featured Spots are recommended by DEC. Map East Mill FLow-Round Pond Trail courtesy Adirondack Atlas.

Harvest data suggests a decline in fisher populations in certain wildlife management units within the Adirondack Park. To get a better idea of what could be driving these apparent declines, DEC initiated a study on fisher demographic rates in 2019. DEC biologists hope to get an idea of reproductive rates and survival of fisher in the central Adirondacks and compare them to demographic rates from the more robust population in the Tug Hill area. DEC wildlife biologists have captured over 30 fisher this winter, including seven females that have been outfitted with GPS collars. Blood tests done by Cornell University suggest that several of these females are pregnant. In the spring, DEC biologists will attempt to successfully track these females to dens. By monitoring these dens using game cameras, DEC can get a better idea of the number of kits each female has and monitor their survival and movements throughout the year.

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Last week Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced schools will close for all children except those of key workers. Schools will still need to look after the children of key workers, such as NHS staff, supermarket workers and police officers, as well as vulnerable children, but every other child must now be homeschooled. The Prime Minister also announced exams will not take place as usual in May and June. Asked about the duration of school closures, Mr Johnson said he wants to keep it to an "absolute minimum". It is still unclear when schools will be reopened due to ongoing measures to minimise the impact of COVID-19.

The video will start in 8 Cancel Sign up to FREE email alerts from Mirror - The Coronavirus Briefing Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email The Body Coach Joe Wicks has announced he will be holding live daily PE lessons for kids to help keep children fit and healthy while they are not at school during the coronavirus pandemic. Joe made his "exciting announcement" earlier today and said that with all schools now closed after today he was going to become the "nation's PE teacher". The 30 minute workout sessions are aimed at "little kids right up to secondary school". (Image: Getty Images) Joe vowed he would get children "moving, feeling energised, positive, optimistic." Announcing the workouts which will start on Monday at 9am and will be held ever weekday, Joe said: "I'm going to do a live workout called 'PE With Joe' on my YouTube channel The Body CoachTV. "It's a workout designed specifically for kids because when the school are closed there is no PE. Don't worry, I've got you. I'm going to take this over. "I'm going to get your kids moving, feeling energised, positive, optimistic. "So tune in Monday morning at 9am and every day. "It's a 30 minute session for little kids right up to secondary school. Get involved, have fun. "We're going to be doing loads of basic exercise. "You don't need a lot of room. I'm going to take care of it. This is happening. I am going to be the nation's PE teacher."

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The CDC told USA TODAY Tuesday that it "does not have guidance scheduled to come out on this topic" but that the current guidelines dictate individuals should wear face masks when they're sick or caring for someone who is sick with COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been consistent with guidelines regarding masks amid national efforts to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. But questions have emerged as to whether those guidelines about to change. A CDC official who spoke to the Washington Post under the condition of anonymity confirmed to the paper that the agency is discussing potential changes to mask recommendations. The current guidelines state that surgical masks and N95 respirators are not needed outside of healthcare settings, and there will be no change of that as hospitals and healthcare centers are quickly running out of personal protective equipment (PPE). However, the Post reported that the new guidelines may recommend the public wear a “do-it-yourself cloth covering.” The CDC told USA TODAY Tuesday that it "does not have guidance scheduled to come out on this topic" but that the current guidelines dictate individuals should wear face masks when they're sick or caring for someone who is sick with COVID-19. The CDC also recommends that healthcare providers to use "homemade masks" as a last resort to care for COVID-19 patients in the event that N95 respirators or surgical masks are not available. "However, cautions should be exercised when considering this option," the CDC warns on its website. Dr. Frank Esper, pediatric infectious diseases specialist at Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital, said that it's totally possible for the CDC to change their mask guidelines in the future as new information develops and healthcare providers run out of PPE. However, he doesn't think that they would recommend the general public to wear masks at all times, especially homemade masks. "If you have no masks available, wearing something like a cloth mask may be of benefit, but you can’t guarantee that you would be as safe as you would as a standardized mask," he said. "Those things have to be tested, quality controlled." Esper also said the "extra protection" may be moot if people aren't consistently changing out their masks or laundering them after every interaction. Another concern is that individuals may be given a false sense of security by masks and more lax about social distancing measures and good hygiene. "Masks by themselves are not the one simple answer to this problem. This is going to be a multi pronged approach to eventually slow this pandemic," he said. The World Health Organization recommends wearing a mask only when sick or when taking care of someone who is sick with COVID-19. “There is no specific evidence to suggest that the wearing of masks by the mass population has any particular benefit,” Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, told reporters in a news conference Monday. “In fact, there’s some evidence to suggest the opposite in the misuse of wearing a mask properly or fitting it properly or taking it off and all the other risks that are otherwise associated with that.” However, Austrian officials announced Monday that shoppers will be required to wear basic face masks in supermarkets, according to Reuters and the South China Morning Post. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said these masks will be provided at the front before entering supermarkets. The WHO said they weren’t “specifically aware of that measure in Austria.” Esper doesn't rule out other future strategies as the pandemic develops. This could include recommendations that target specific cities or professions. "We’re in a crisis that generates innovation and there are a lot of innovative ideas right now as we try to work through this infection," he said. Follow Adrianna Rodriguez on Twitter: @AdriannaUSAT. All coronavirus coverage is being provided free to our readers. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing. Help keep local businesses afloat at supportlocal.usatoday.com.

As the biggest hospital system in Arizona rations masks for doctors and nurses, its executives are now telling staff that they can instead wear "social comfort masks" so that they "feel comfortable as they care for their patients." Banner Health "does not endorse" those masks as preventing the transmission of diseases like COVID-19, Dr. Marjorie Bessel, the company's chief clinical officer, told staff Monday morning in an email, which was obtained by Phoenix New Times. The term "social comfort mask" is a new one. Doctors and nurses don't know it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has nothing on the term. CDC Banner has explicitly told staff that they cannot wear medical face masks and N95 respirators except under highly limited circumstances, as New Times previously reported. Now, the nonprofit hospital system's suggestion that front-line staff can begin "social comfort masking" that provides little-to-no protection during an unprecedented global pandemic comes as other hospitals elsewhere in the country implement requirements like "universal masking." UMass Memorial Health Care, for example, told staff that starting Tuesday morning, they had to wear hospital-supplied face masks whenever they entered a facility. UMass Memorial Health Care has 13,000 employees across its hospitals in Massachusetts, where more than 1,100 people have tested positive for the virus and nine people have died. "Never heard this term ever," said a doctor who works at Banner of the phrase "social comfort mask." The doctor, speaking to New Times on condition of anonymity, called Bessel's email "highly insensitive" and suggested that "Banner thinks staff is expendable." As of Tuesday, 326 people in Arizona have tested positive for the new coronavirus, but the true number is likely far higher, as testing remains limited and difficult to obtain. Five people have died from the virus in Arizona. Banner's definition of "social comfort mask" is that it must be self-supplied, cannot be a mask provided by Banner Health, and must look "substantially different" from the masks that Banner provides. It can be home-sewn, but scarves and bandannas don't count, according to Bessel's email. Nurses and doctors are still required to follow Banner's protocol for wearing personal protective equipment, which lays out specific circumstances when they can wear masks and other PPE, as Bessel reminded them in her email. "Social comfort masks may not be worn in isolation or procedure rooms; in those rooms Banner approved PPE will be provided and must always be used," she wrote. This is what a "social comfort mask" can look like at Banner Hospital. Banner Health Shortages of personal protective equipment are a national phenomenon. A month ago, the CDC warned that demand for N95 respirators and face masks was up tenfold and that gaps in supply "may be anticipated to continue for the next 3-4 months." In an acknowledgement of these shortfalls, the CDC's website has a page euphemistically titled "Strategies for Optimizing the Supply of PPE," which lays out mask usage guidelines that escalate in stringency in accordance with shortage severity. There's "conventional capacity," which is when there are no shortages, then "contingency," and then "crisis," the most extreme. Banner's mask restrictions appear to align with "crisis" mode. When shortages of masks have reached crisis capacity, the CDC says, "Cancel all elective and non-urgent procedures and appointments for which a facemask is typically used by [a health care provider]." "Use facemasks beyond the manufacturer-designated shelf life," "implement limited re-use of facemasks," and "prioritize facemasks for selected activities," it adds. Those "selected" activities include "prolonged face-to-face or close contacted" with a potentially infectious patient, and "performing aerosol generating procedures." When no face masks are available, the CDC, health care providers "might use" homemade masks like a bandanna or a scarf, but those are not considered personal protective equipment, "since their capability to protect ... is unknown." "We don’t have an endless supply of nurses. You gotta take care of the ones you have.” - Banner nurse Facebook Twitter As of last week, Banner's internal directives to its health care workers told them to disinfect and reuse certain equipment, including masks and goggles. Those workers are also barred from wearing personal protective equipment in hallways, as New Times reported last week. The directives also said N95 masks, which fit snugly over a person's nose and mouth, should be worn only in airborne isolation rooms or when doing certain procedures on people confirmed or suspected to have COVID-19. The hospital's restrictions on masks has left health care workers fearful. “My coworkers are scared," said one nurse at a Banner hospital, who also spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retribution from administrators. "Nobody can really say anything. A lot of them are like, 'I have to work; I have to have this job.'" "I know there’s a PPE shortage," added the nurse, who said she has underlying health conditions but was explicitly told by superiors that she could not wear a mask, even her own. But, she said, "we don’t have an endless supply of nurses. You gotta take care of the ones you have.” In her email Monday, Bessel told staff that Banner does have enough personal protective equipment, even as she indicated that it was trying to limit usage. The hospital was working "to ensure the adequate use and conservation of Banner provided PPE so we can take care of our patients, and one another, for the long term," she wrote. "We are offering social comfort masking because we recognize it will allow some team members to feel more comfortable in the workplace." In her email, Bessel promised that "the health, safety and well-being of our team members is of paramount importance during the COVID-19 pandemic" and that "we will continue to do our part to ensure you feel protected and valued." A spokesperson for Banner did not respond to a voicemail, email, or text message from New Times seeking comment for this story.

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Mohanlal, the complete actor is all set to release his ambitious project Marakkar Arabikadalinte Simham, very soon. Recently, the senior actor opened up about the comparisons between Marakkar Arabikadalinte Simham and Baahubali, the Prabhas starring Telugu blockbuster. Mohanlal suggested that the Priyadarshan directorial cannot be compared with the SS Rajamouli directorial. According to the complete actor, Baahubali is an out-and-out fantasy film that reminds us of the old Amar Chitra Kadha comics. When it comes to the SS Rajamouli directorial, the makers had the creative liberty to showcase anything they think fits the bill due to its fantasy element. It was clearly a great advantage. Marakkar Arabikadalinte Simham, on the other hand, is an epic historic film that is based on the life of the historical character Kunjali Marakkar IV. The creative liberty has been very limited with the project, as it is based on a true story. But still, the historical drama can be called a complete Priyadarshan film. As reported earlier, Marakkar Arabikadalinte Simham which was slated to hit the theatres on March 26, 2020, has been postponed due to the coronavirus scare. According to lead actor Mohanlal, the team is yet to finalise the new release date of the project. However, the makers are planning to have a special screening of the Priyadarshan directorial on March 19, Thursday, for the officers of the Indian Navy. The official trailer of Marakkar Arabikadalinte Simham, which was released on March 6, Friday, has totally won the hearts of netizens. The trailer, which was simultaneously released in five languages including Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi, has already crossed 10 Million views (including the views from all versions). The extraordinary trailer of the Mohanlal starrer suggests that something very special is in store for the Malayalam cinema audiences. Marakkar Arabikadalinte Simham, which might hit the theatres in April 2020, is expected to break all the pre-existing collection records of the Malayalam cinema.

Marakkar Arabikadalinte Simham, the upcoming Mohanlal starring historical drama is unarguably one of the most anticipated upcoming films of the Malayalam film industry in 2020. The Priyadarshan directorial is all set to have a grand release on March 26, Thursday. Recently, the makers revealed the release date of Marakkar Arabikadalinte Simham official trailer. The trailer release date was revealed through the official social media pages of lead actor Mohanlal, director Priyadarshan, and the rest of the team members recently. Marakkar Arabikadalinte Simham official trailer will be jointly released by Mohanlal and Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar through their respective social media pages on March 6, 2020, at 5 PM. According to the sources close to the project, the official trailer of Marakkar Arabikadalinte Simham will provide a glimpse of the main star cast of the movie unlike the first teaser, which was solely based on Mohanlal's character Kunjali Marakkar IV. The Malayalam cinema audiences are now eagerly waiting for the trailer of the Mohanlal-Priyadarshan movie. As per the latest updates, the audio rights of Marakkar Arabikadalinte Simham has been sold for the highest price received by a Malayalam film to date. A popular music company in the Malayalam film industry has bagged the audio rights of the historical drama for a record price. Reportedly, the makers are planning to release the soundtrack of the Mohanlal starrer very soon, in a grand launch event. Mohanlal is appearing as the titular character Kunjali Marakkar IV aka Mohammed, the naval chieftain of Samoothiri kingdom in the historical drama which is jointly scripted by Priyadarshan and Ani Sasi. Pranav Mohanlal, the son of Mohanlal will appear as the young Kunjali Marakkar in the magnum opus. Tirru, the senior cinematographer is the director of photography of Marakkar Arabikadalinte Simham. Sabu Cyril, the National Award-winning art director has handled the production design. Renowned stunt director Peter Hein has designed the action sequences for the Mohanlal-Priyadarshan project.

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Please enable Javascript to watch this video KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) - The Chiefs are Super Bowl Champions, and it's time to celebrate with a party - possibly one at the home of Paul Rudd's mom. "I'm freaking out. I guess we really got to plan a big 'ole kegger, don't we," Rudd told WDAF during the Chiefs postgame celebration. It all began in 2015 when Rudd jokingly threw out an invite when the Royals advanced to the World Series. He did the same two weeks ago when the Chiefs won the AFC to advance to the Super Bowl. "Kegger at mom's," Rudd said Sunday after the Chiefs big win. "Somebody better let my mom know."

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Boulevard Brewing Company tweeted Monday that they’re brewing up something extra special to celebrate the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win. “We’ve already gotten a lot of questions, so to answer those and preemptively answer any others: YES, a beer to celebrate the big win is on the way!” the tweet said. While the brewing company did not release a lot of details, they did say it will be worth the wait. In 2014, the local brewery released the limited edition Crown Town Ale after the Royals advanced to the World Series. They released it again in 2015 after the Royals won the World Series. We've already gotten a lot of questions, so to answer those and preemptively answer any others: YES, a beer to celebrate the big win is on the way! Stay tuned for more, it will definitely be worth the wait… — Boulevard Brewing Co. (@Boulevard_Beer) February 3, 2020

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Twenty years ago, President Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and PLO leader Yasser Arafat met at Camp David where Barak offered almost all of what Arafat asked for in exchange for making peace with the Jewish state. Arafat rejected the offer. The reason was and remains that the Palestinian leadership doesn’t want to make peace with Israel. Their goal is to eliminate it. Now comes President Trump with his own peace plan, offering statehood, prosperity and peace to the Palestinians. Has anything changed in the last 20 years, indeed, since 1948 when the Arabs rejected the idea of a Jewish state and launched the first of numerous wars, spawning terrorist attacks? Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas rejected the Trump plan before it was announced, calling the president a “dog” and another name not fit to print. The flaw in the Trump plan is that it is designed, like all the others, by people whose thinking is radically different from Arab and Muslim leaders. Let’s start with the Palestinian Charter, which says in Article Nine: “Armed struggle is the only way to liberate Palestine and is therefore a strategy and not a tactic. The Palestinian Arab people affirms its absolute resolution and abiding determination to pursue the armed struggle and to march forward towards the armed popular revolution, to liberate its homeland and restore its right to a natural life, and to exercise its right of self-determination and national sovereignty.” One of the requirements in the Trump peace proposal is for the Palestinians to reject violence, including violence by Islamic Jihad and Hamas. Neither terrorist organization has accepted Israel’s right to exist and is unlikely to do so now. The president spoke of the importance of peace for the younger generation. But young people are being educated like those who have gone before. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, a New York-based nonprofit think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs, a 2017 study by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (in Jerusalem) found that “Palestinian children are being taught to glorify and value terrorism and violence” and that “The new Palestinian curriculum, which includes new textbooks for grades 1-4, is significantly more radical than previous curricula. To an even greater extent than the 2014-15 textbooks, the curriculum teaches students to be martyrs, demonizes and denies the existence of Israel and focuses on a “return” to an exclusively Palestinian homeland.” There are plenty of good intentions in the Trump proposal, including a promise of prosperity and jobs for the Palestinian people. They could have had both long ago. Jobs and prosperity, however, do not supersede what many of them believe to be orders from Allah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his political rival, Benny Gantz, have signed off on the plan, probably for political reasons with another election coming soon. They can’t possibly believe the Palestinian leadership will agree to the proposal. Peace is not, or should not be, a goal. Peace is a byproduct of victory in war, or a decision by one’s enemies to change the way they believe and act. That Palestinian leaders will change their beliefs and desire to eliminate Israel is as likely as Democrats changing their minds about Trump’s presidency. One wishes it were not so, but history — even recent history — proves otherwise. Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com.

Photo Credit: Flash90 {Originally posted to the JNS website} As far as Americans who despise President Donald Trump go, as well as for many Jews and Israelis who feel the same way about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the ceremony unveiling a new U.S. peace plan for the Middle East was a sham. Advertisement With the Palestinians refusing to even talk to the administration—let alone negotiate with Israel about implementing the plan’s terms—chances of the “deal of the century” solving the conflict remain exactly zero. Trump’s opponents see his determination to recognize Israeli sovereignty over all of Jerusalem, as well as the green light his plan gives to annexation of West Bank settlements, as an outrage. And they dismiss his offer of statehood to the Palestinians—provided that they recognize the legitimacy of the Jewish state and cease support for terrorism—as meaningless. In essence, all those denouncing Trump’s terms are advising the Palestinians to stick to their refusal to talk until a new American president takes office. Whatever you think about Trump, it is the worst possible advice anyone could give to the Palestinians. Unfortunately, this is exactly what many Democrats are doing. The same is true of allegedly “pro-peace” Jewish groups like J Street. Rather than encouraging the Palestinians to start negotiating, the “experts” about the Mideast are applauding their decision to reject Trump’s proposal out of hand. Sadly, they are once again serving as enablers for a Palestinian Arab leadership that has, over the course of the last century, failed their people miserably as they pursued a futile war against Zionism. Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas stopped talking to the Americans after Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December 2017 and then continued to ignore them as the peace plan was drafted. He refused an invitation to the White House and even a phone call from the president, whom he denounced as a “dog” and a “son of a dog.” But the key to understanding his stance was his statement that if he were to negotiate on these terms, he would be seen as “a traitor” to the Palestinian people. The political culture that produced Abbas is one in which any recognition of Israel’s legitimacy is not merely a form of treason, but a complete betrayal of Palestinian identity. That’s why Abbas was meeting with representatives of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, rather than with Trump and Netanyahu at the White House. Abbas may think that it’s outrageous that he’s being asked to accept less than what George W. Bush and Ehud Olmert offered him in 2008, or what Bill Clinton and Ehud Barak offered his predecessor Yasser Arafat in 2000 and 2001. But what Trump’s critics forget is that both Abbas and Arafat rejected those offers of Palestinian statehood in almost all of the West Bank, Gaza and a share of Jerusalem. Independence wasn’t enough for the Palestinians then. And it’s not enough now—and not because the amount of territory they’re being offered is slightly less than what was on the table previously. Abbas is saying “no” to Trump for the same reason that the Palestinians have been saying “no” to every compromise that has been mooted to solve the conflict since the 1930s. No Palestinian leader has the courage to make peace with Israel, no matter where its borders are drawn, because they remain locked into a war that they have already lost. Palestinians are right to say that Trump is asking them to surrender. But what they must surrender is their dreams of eliminating Israel. The problem with the plans put forward by Trump’s predecessors was not that they weren’t generous enough to the Palestinians, but that they refused, as Trump has done, to force them to realize that time wasn’t on their side. Israel tried in the 1993 Oslo Accords to trade “land for peace,” but got terror instead. The same was true of Ariel Sharon’s withdrawal of every Israeli soldier, settler and settlement from Gaza in August of 2005. The overwhelming majority of Israelis have learned from these failures, and that is why even the Blue and White Party that leads the opposition to Netanyahu largely agrees with him about the need to hold onto security control of the West Bank and to annex portions of it since there is no Palestinian peace partner in sight. Had the Palestinians accepted Clinton and Barak’s offer of peace in 2000, many of the settlements that Trump is allowing Israel to annex would no longer exist. But after two decades of violence and rejectionism, it isn’t reasonable to expect Israelis to risk their national security and defense in the same manner they might have done in the past. No American president can make Israel give the Palestinians what they want because their goal isn’t a demilitarized state that will live in peace alongside a Jewish state, coupled with the Gaza Strip no longer ruled by Hamas terrorists. The fact that Abbas even cited J Street as a group opposing Trump’s plan after he met with terrorists illustrates how utterly counterproductive that group’s efforts are to the cause of peace. With much of the Arab world no longer interested in backing their endless war against Israel, the Palestinians need to understand that Trump’s team of former real estate executives turned diplomats is right to think of them as equivalent to a property that is rapidly depreciating in value. What Trump is offering the Palestinians is the best chance they’re going to get to achieve a measure of independence, and eventually even prosperity. Anyone who advises them differently—whether out of disdain for Trump, or because they are fixated on forcing Israel to retreat to the 1967 lines and evicting hundreds of thousands of Israelis from their homes—is merely encouraging them to make the same mistake Palestinians have made every other time they had a chance to end the conflict and move on with their lives. All J Street and the Democrats are giving them is the permission to go on dooming their people to fight an endless war they’ve already lost.

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Eau Claire (WQOW) - WQOW News 18 is partnering with Volume One to unveil the winners of the annual "Best of the Chippewa Valley." As part of that, we want to send you and a friend to 'The Best Night' where Volume One will celebrate the organizations that topped the list of Best Of in the Chippewa Valley. These tickets are VIP which means you get into the event an hour early and get free drinks and appetizers during that hour! The prize is valued at $130! Read the official rules here.

Eau Claire (WQOW) - Many residents spent their Leap Day afternoon supporting local businesses at the Brewing Projekt. From jewelry to food to home decor, visitors were able to see all sorts of homemade goods at the brewery's "Leap Year Vendor Market." Taproom and events manager Taylor Pieper said all 18 vendors were from the Chippewa Valley. Event organizers said the market not only brings in business to the Brewing Projekt, but helps give a boost to the local talent as well. "We like to open our doors to the community to local artists and vendors so they can come in and show off their stuff," Pieper said. "It helps us as well. Obviously people are coming in, seeing our new taproom. It's a mutually beneficial event to have. We love having everybody in here." Saturday's market was free to enter and open for all ages. If you missed out, Pieper said the Brewing Projekt plans to host more vendor markets in the spring and summer.

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In response to Gov. Steve Sisolak’s mandate regarding COVID-19, Lyon County offices will be closed to the public beginning Wednesday, March 25, according to a news release. Service will continue through telephone, fax and email, Monday–Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Building and site improvement inspections will continue, but all inspection requests have to be either called-in or e-mailed to the appropriate department, the release said. There is no longer walk-in service for any Lyon County department until this pandemic has passed. Law enforcement services such as fingerprinting, office reports, etc. will be completed by contacting your local sheriff’s substation or the main office and scheduling an appointment for services. Marriage licenses, business licenses and recording documents will be completed by calling the appropriate office and making an appointment to have services completed. To contact specific departments and offices, use lyon-county.org and click on the directory for phone number and email information. If you have business with the courts contact them to determine access: Third Judicial District Court, (775) 463-6571 Dayton Justice Court, (775) 246-6233 Fernley Justice Court, (775) 575-3355 Walker River Justice Court, (775) 463-6639

Send this page to someone via email The Assiniboine Park Zoo is bringing the zoo to you during the COVID-19 outbreak. While the zoo has closed to the public to help stem the spread of novel coronavirus, staff have gone online to help Winnipeggers keep in touch with some of their favourite zoo creatures. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 1 p.m. zookeepers will go live on the zoo’s Facebook page to present a different animal to Winnipeggers. “We’ll be getting up close, introducing you to an animal here at the zoo, and teaching you about animal enrichment, veterinary care, adaptations, and more,” reads a statement on the zoo’s website. Zookeepers will also answer questions during the livestreams. Story continues below advertisement The idea, dubbed Creature Feature, kicked off Monday with a look at the zoo’s meerkats. To see a full lineup of which animals are lined up for a livestream, check out the zoo’s website.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Ayanna Pressley announced in a new video that she has gone bald due to alopecia. The freshman Massachusetts Democrat was known for her long hair twists. Her hair styles had become an inspiration to young supporters. In the video on the African American-focused website The Root, Pressley publicly revealed her bald head for the first time. Pressley said she felt compelled to go public to free herself of the shame of her condition and provide true transparency to all the people empowered by her hair style. Pressley said she first noticed her hair falling out back in the fall.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Marianne Williamson announced she’s ending her Democratic presidential bid a week after laying off nearly her entire campaign staff. The best-selling author and self-help adviser struggled to break through the crowded Democratic field despite drawing some online support and viral attention after the first two debates. But she didn’t qualify for the debate stage past last summer and languished in support. Williamson told supporters in a Friday statement that she didn’t want to impede the chances of another progressive Democrat from winning the upcoming primaries. She built her campaign around themes of love and what she called “big truth” and asked supporters to join what she called an “evolution” not a revolution. Williamson had made slavery reparations, child welfare and a “department of peace” her chief platform items. Williamson ended her statement by assuring supporters “love will prevail.”

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Good news for travellers who think economy airline seats are small enough to make you feel like cattle: now you can opt for a capsule hotel in the sky instead. Air New Zealand says it is going ahead with a test program to install at least six bunk beds in economy class. The airline calls it Economy Skynest and says it plans to launch the service on its direct flight between New York City and New Zealand's largest city, Auckland — a long-haul flight with a 17 hour and 40 minute scheduled flying time that will begin operating in October 2020. "A clear pain point for economy travellers on long-haul flights is the inability to stretch out," said Mike Tod, the airline's chief marketing officer, in a news release. The airline hasn't decided on the exact location of the pods in the plane or how many pods each plane will have, but they will be in economy class. Included features The beds will be stacked three high and are about 200 centimetres (six feet five inches) long and at least 58 centimetres (just under two feet) wide. A pillow, blanket, sheets and earplugs will be provided, and the pods will be equipped with privacy curtains and "lighting designed for sleep," the release said. "We are exploring other features such as separate reading light, personal device USB outlet and ventilation outlet." The airline has yet to reveal pricing, but it did say the feature will be offered to economy class travellers. "We have yet to determine the costs and are still assessing the commercial proposition and viability of this product," spokesperson Anna Cross told CBC News when asked about pricing plans. But she did say anyone booking the pod would also need to have purchased a standard seat before having the option of moving between the two. "The concept is designed as a pod you go to during the flight," she said. "You will still have your economy seat separately for the other portion of the flight." Expanding service Some airlines already offer sleeping pods to their first- and business-class passengers, but the move from Air New Zealand builds on the airline's attempt to bring stripped-down versions of such perks to its economy-class customers. In 2018, the airline marketed something it called Economy Skycouch to customers — essentially, a way to turn a row of three seats into one unit someone could lie down across. Watch the video below to see how it works. "We expect other airlines will want to explore licensing the Economy Skynest from us just as they have with the Economy Skycouch," Goodman said.

Career Corner: Panel Interview Fears By Angela Copeland Have you ever had a panel interview? It’s one of those job interviews where you show up and instead of one person interviewing you, three do. Or, if you’re really lucky, five or six will. I’m not talking about a situation where you have one interview after another. I’m talking about a single interview where you’re facing off with multiple people at a time around a single table. If you interview people, you should know that panel interviews are scary for the candidate. I’ve seen these at all levels, from right out of college to senior executives. Very rarely are people comfortable with this kind of interview format. If your goal is to be welcoming, avoid this interview setup if you can. Or, provide as much information to the candidate ahead of time so they can prepare. If you’re the candidate, you should know that the company doesn’t intend to scare you. They have probably scheduled you for a panel interview because it takes less time. They can interview you all at once. Also, a panel interview is not a place where you’ll find yourself attacked by the panelists. In your mind, you may picture an adversarial meeting at work. It’s you versus a team of people when something goes wrong. But, that should not be the case in a panel interview. You don’t yet work at the company and should be welcoming and kind. In a panel interview, it’s very likely that each person will have one or two predetermined questions they will ask you. And, it’s also possible that not everyone in the room is excited to be there. They may also be nervous. Or, they may be doing the hiring manager a favor by participating in the panel. Before you have a panel interview, ask the human resources recruiter for an agenda of the people you’ll be talking to. Use that agenda to research each person, so you’ll be prepared in advance. During the interview, stay calm and be friendly. Treat each person equally and with respect. Be sure to shake the hand of everyone you meet. Afterward, send each person a thank you email. Don’t send one mass email. Send a separate email for each individual person. If you can, customize each email to reflect something that aligns to the person’s background or something they honed in on during your interview. But, keep it positive. Don’t use the emails to apologize. Thank the person for their time and keep going. If you’re feeling especially interested in a role, take the time to also send a hand written thank you note to every person. If you do this, you’ll very likely be the only candidate who did – and it will make you stand out in a good way. Remember: every interview is practice for the next one. And, you don’t have to answer every question perfectly to get a job offer. Angela Copeland, a career expert and founder of Copeland Coaching, can be reached at copelandcoaching.com.

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The city of Lincoln tried to stock up on personal protection equipment last week, issuing a series of emergency bid requests seeking supplies to keep its employees safe. Like nearly 400 gallons of hand sanitizer in various quantities, including 1,000 12-ounce containers and a 55-gallon barrel. And 42,000 respirator masks. More than 40,000 disposable exam gloves, and 6,000 isolation gowns. But it might have to take what it can get, when it can get it. A single supplier responded to the bid for N95 respirator masks, offering to sell pallets — or 3,840 masks — for $1,171. But it can’t guarantee delivery, said Bob Walla, the city’s purchasing agent. And the same Illinois company was the one only to bite on the hand sanitizer bid, with a quote for more than $46,000. The city accepted the offer — and the mayor signed an executive order Tuesday — but the sanitizer won’t come anytime soon.

Places at Fife’s emergency childcare centres are being made available to more families this week. Last week the provision was open only to children of key workers in categories one and two. However, the children’s activity centres will now take in children of category three key workers. More than 400 youngsters are already registered for the 29 activity centres set up around Fife to help key workers during the coronavirus crisis. There was confusion among parents in Fife and Tayside over who was eligible to use the hubs being set up by local authorities. However, Carrie Lindsay, executive director of education and children’s services in Fife Council, offered clarity on the kingdom’s offering. She said: “We opened our centres on Tuesday [last week], initially to the children of the most critical category one workers. “On Thursday that was opened up to some workers from category two and [this week] we will start to take children of category three workers. “We took this phased approach to make sure we had space for the most vital workers’ children. “Once they were all registered, we reviewed our numbers to see how much space we had for category two workers’ children. We are now in a position to open up to category three workers’ children.”

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Two new cases of the novel coronavirus have been confirmed in San Joaquin County, bringing the total to three cases in the county, public health officials said Thursday.In response, San Joaquin County Public Health Services declared a public health emergency “in order to assist in leveraging additional resources and funding to ensure an appropriate response to the COVID-19 outbreak.”“The proclamation should not be considered a reason for heightened concern; it is intended to help facilitate additional resources to address the increasing demands of containing the virus,” health officials said in a statement.County officials will now be shifting to community mitigation measures as a way to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This means officials will move away from “individually focused, labor-intensive ‘contact-tracing’ and quarantine, to minimizing the impact of COVID-19 in the greater community."“These actions are important steps to freeing up public health resources to protect the most vulnerable populations, and allow our health care system to prepare for taking care of severely ill patients,” health officials said. Two new cases of the novel coronavirus have been confirmed in San Joaquin County, bringing the total to three cases in the county, public health officials said Thursday. In response, San Joaquin County Public Health Services declared a public health emergency “in order to assist in leveraging additional resources and funding to ensure an appropriate response to the COVID-19 outbreak.” Advertisement “The proclamation should not be considered a reason for heightened concern; it is intended to help facilitate additional resources to address the increasing demands of containing the virus,” health officials said in a statement. County officials will now be shifting to community mitigation measures as a way to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This means officials will move away from “individually focused, labor-intensive ‘contact-tracing’ and quarantine, to minimizing the impact of COVID-19 in the greater community." “These actions are important steps to freeing up public health resources to protect the most vulnerable populations, and allow our health care system to prepare for taking care of severely ill patients,” health officials said.

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After a 1-3 showing in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge that caused them to plummet out of the top 25, the North Carolina softball team rebounded on Tuesday afternoon with a 7-0 victory over North Carolina Central. What happened? The Tar Heels seemed to be recovering from a long weekend of competitive action when the game started slow and was knotted at zero for the first two innings. The Eagles managed to keep the Tar Heels at bay until the bottom of the third inning, when head coach Donna Papa’s team was finally able to sneak runners on base. First-year outfielder Bri Stubbs completed a surprise bunt, helping her get all the way to second base and drive in the game’s first run after N.C. Central threw an errant ball over first base. Once the Tar Heels developed an appetite for scoring, the inning went south for the Eagles. A passed ball brought Stubbs in for the second score of the game, only to be one-upped by junior Zoë Goodman, who powered a two-run home run that to center field to cap off an explosive four-run inning for UNC.

The lead disappeared when Fairfield notched another run to tie the game in the top of the third and scored twice in the top of the fourth to go up 4-2. From there, the deficit ballooned to six as Fairfield scored four runs on five hits and a North Carolina error in the top of the fifth to make it 8-2. In the top of the seventh, Fairfield scored another three for a hefty 11-2 lead, which was the eventual final. In the finale on Sunday, North Carolina scored three in the top of the third inning against UNCG thanks to a two-run homer from senior Campbell Hutcherson and a solo home run from sophomore Lexi Godwin. UNCG scored a run in the bottom of the fourth and added three more — on three straight solo homers — in the fifth to take a 4-3 lead. Hutcherson responded with a double to send in another two runs to retake a one-run lead. In the bottom of the sixth with a 2-2 count, though, UNCG hit a grand slam to shift momentum and take a three-run lead. North Carolina couldn’t respond in the top of the seventh inning and fell in heartbreaking fashion, 8-5. Who stood out? George pitched an impressive game one and kept the Tar Heels in it, while Godwin had a 2-3 day at the plate despite the loss. Sophomore Abby Settlemyre went 3-4 with a double and two runs scored in the finale against UNCG, while Hutcherson went 2-4 with four RBIs. When was it decided? The first game against Purdue was tied at zero until the bottom of the sixth when Purdue finally broke through. North Carolina batted in the top of the seventh but was unable to tie the game up and suffered a 1-0 loss. Against Fairfield, at the top of the fourth inning North Carolina was only down 4-2. But the fifth inning proved disastrous for UNC as Fairfield scored four runs and pushed their lead to 8-2, and another three in the top of the seventh to make it 11-2. Why does it matter? Head coach Donna J. Papa said her team wasn't consistent in some respects, but believes it made strides toward getting better. She felt the team had a chance to come away with a perfect 3-0 weekend. “Very disappointing, because we went into that tournament knowing the competition — definitely I felt like we would come out of there 3-0, and we came out 0-3,” Papa said. "That’s just not something I’m used to and our program is used to, and we have to get better.” When do they play next? UNC hosts Elon on Wednesday at 4 p.m. @A_ReynoldsDTH @DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com

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For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO and CDC websites. Smartphone shipments saw their biggest ever drop in February as the novel coronavirus ravaged China, one of the world's largest markets and a vital manufacturing hub. Worldwide, phone shipments fell 38% to 61.8 million units in February 2020, from 99.2 million units in the same month last year, according to Strategy Analytics. The firm attributed the "huge" drop to a collapse in demand in Asia. "February 2020 saw the biggest fall ever in the history of the worldwide smartphone market," Strategy Analytics analyst Neil Mawston said. "Supply and demand of smartphones plunged in China, slumped across Asia and slowed in the rest of the world. It is a period the smartphone industry will want to forget." Now playing: Watch this: 3 new Apple products and more on the way The news follows warnings by companies like Apple that they likely won't meet their expected sales targets because of the coronavirus and COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. Apple in February cited two reasons for its update: The coronavirus was hurting both demand from Chinese customers and production capabilities inside the country. China is one of the world's biggest markets and the primary location where devices like the iPhone are assembled. Because factories are coming online later, there'll be iPhone shortages around the globe, Apple has said. The coronavirus is changing the way we live and forcing people across the globe to stay at home and isolate themselves from others. The pandemic has caused schools to close, while other closures have swept across the US, from Broadway theaters to NBA venues. Starting Tuesday, the San Francisco Bay Area was put on lockdown, with citizens ordered to stay at home except for essential outings. It followed places like France and Spain in limiting the movement of the public, and the rest of California joined the lockdown on Thursday. The state of New York followed suit Friday. A slow recovery? Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf told CNBC on Thursday that phone purchases in China have returned to normal as the country recovers from the coronavirus outbreak. Qualcomm is the world's biggest handset maker, supplying wireless chips to Apple, Samsung and most of the other major phone vendors in the world. "if you're just looking at activations of cellphones in China ... at the end of January, you saw a big dip," Mollenkopf said. But purchases in that country have recovered in March. "It's really turned back to the same level you had a year ago," he said. "It clearly was a very difficult time in February, but it's good to see that returning." He added that Qualcomm's customers -- the companies designing phones -- have seen their supply chains return to about 70% to 80% capacity. Still, Strategy Analytics analyst Yiwen Wu on Friday warned that global smartphone shipments will remain weak throughout this month. "The coronavirus scare has spread to Europe, North America and elsewhere, and hundreds of millions of affluent consumers are in lockdown, unable or unwilling to shop for new devices," Wu said. "The smartphone industry will have to work harder than ever to lift sales in the coming weeks, such as online flash sales or generous discounts on bundling with hot products like smartwatches." Apple, for its part, has reopened its stores in China but has closed all its retail locations outside the Asian country, indefinitely. It also has limited online iPhone purchases as COVID-19 constrains its supply chain. Consumers can buy only two iPhones or iPads per person. The last time Apple imposed such limits was 2007, when the original iPhone came out. Apple this week introduced two new products, a new iPad with a keyboard case that has a trackpad, as well as an updated MacBook Air.

February was set to be a big month for the phone industry, with its major annual Mobile World Congress showcase, where many new phones are unveiled for the first time.

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A longtime reader who was a senior official government in a previous Democratic administration sent me this: I’m sorry if this question strikes people as impolite. A 78-year old man who had a heart attack less than five months ago and refuses to release his complete medical records is the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination. If Bernie Sanders is nominated and elected president, what are the odds he can complete a full term? The answer is about 50-50. A team of nine cardiologists recently published a study in the Journal of the American Heart Association that can help answer that question.Their study tracked the expected mortality and life expectancy of people who survive a first heart attack (myocardial infarction) at ages 65 and older. The scientists’ data are comprehensive, covering what happened to 22,295 heart attack patients admitted to U.S. hospitals from October 2004 to December 2006. Their analysis provides two ways to estimate a person’s expected mortality and life-expectancy based on age and cardiac history. Both methods produced nearly identical results. The likelihood that a person of Senator Sanders’ age and heart history will die within one year – that takes us through September 2020 – is 25 percent. Further, the median period of survival for those patients is about five years, so the likelihood that someone of Senator Sanders’ age and heart history will survive through the next presidential term is about 50-50. This is far from typical. According to the CDC, the odds that a 78-year old American will die within one year are just over 4 percent, and the odds over five years are less than 23 percent. Moreover, 45 people have served as President of the United States, and four of them died in office from natural causes. The historical likelihood that a president will die in office for medical reasons, therefore, is less than 9 percent. The analysis of Senator Sanders’ prospects could be more precise than 50-50, if we knew a common indicator of his current cardiac status, called the “the left ventricular ejection fraction.” This measures the blood volume a person’s heart pushes out with each heartbeat. According to an interview by NBC News with the president of the American College of Cardiology, Dr. Richard Kovacs, the results are closely associated with a patient’s expected mortality rate. By this measure, the normal blood volume level is 60 percent. At 40 to 50 percent, the functioning of the heart’s left ventricle is said to be mildly impaired; at 30 percent to 40 percent, moderately impaired; and at 30 percent or less, severely impaired. It is certainly reasonable that voters know those results for a 78-year old potential nominee with a heart condition. Thus far, Senator Sanders has refused. If he persists and is nominated, voters will have to consider very carefully his choice for vice president, since the odds that a vice president would succeed a President Sanders for medical reasons during his first term will jump from an average 9 percent to 50 percent.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders put forth a far-reaching plan Tuesday night that calls for at least $2 trillion in emergency funding—including for free healthcare and direct cash payments of $2,000 per month to every American—as a way to “mobilize on a scale not seen since the New Deal and World War II to prevent deaths, job losses, and economic ruin” caused by the deadly and growing threat of the coronavirus outbreak now sweeping the United States and much of the world. “We must guarantee that everyone who needs care can get it for free, ensure that all workers continue to receive paychecks so they can make ends meet, and stop giant corporations and Wall Street from profiting off the outbreak.” —Sen. Bernie Sanders “In terms of potential deaths and the impact on our economy, the crisis we face from coronavirus is on the scale of a major war, and we must act accordingly,” Sanders said in Tuesday night address. “We must begin thinking on a scale comparable to the threat, and make sure that we are protecting working people, low-income people, and the most vulnerable communities, not just giant corporations and Wall Street.” The new plan—which Sanders set out in a live-streamed address just before polls closed in the primary voting states of Illinois, Florida, and Arizona—gives new policy details to his repeated call that the response to the coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, be adequately robust and specifically targeted to help those who need it most and done in a way that centers both the short-term and long-term health of the nation’s people and its economy. While former Vice President Joe Biden was declared the winner in each of Tuesday’s primary contests—adding to his already substantial delegate lead—the release of the new plan by Sanders made it clear that the Vermont senator still believes he has a role to play and a vision to share with the nation even as his prospects for winning the Democratic nomination continue to diminish. “In this moment of crisis, it is imperative that we stand together,” Sanders said. Referencing people in the U.S. already out of work, those sick or fearful that they or someone they love could become sick, and everyone worried about their ability to get tested or treatment if they need—Sanders emphasized how it is now essential that the needs of working people and the most vulnerable in society are put before corporate interests or those seeking to profit in the midst of the society-wide shock. The plan would guarantee that all healthcare needs related to the coronavirus would be free and available to all, including testing, any treatments, and ultimately—when available—the vaccine. The plan also calls for a dramatic investment in the public health system—including an urgent overhaul in terms of testing for the virus—and increased preparedness and support for frontline medical workers, hospitals, clinics, and community health centers. It would also mobilize the National Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, and military resources to build healthcare capacity nationwide. On the economic front, Sanders’ plan would issue direct cash payments, in the form of $2,000 check to every American each month for the duration of the crisis. The plan would also establish what the Sanders campaign calls the “Emergency Economic Crisis Finance Agency,” which would be charged with handling the financial downturn unleashed by what is now a global pandemic.

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Help to retain apprentices, $6.7 billion in tax-free money for small business and an expansion of the instant asset write-off will be offered under a Morrison government plan to boost the economy. As well, media reports suggest pensioners and welfare recipients will get cash payments of around $500. Treasury expects the coronavirus will detract 0.5 percentage points from Australia's growth figures in the March quarter. Economists say whether Australia avoids recession will be determined by the length of time coronavirus continues to disrupt the nation. Prime Minister Scott Morrison is determined to keep economic growth in positive territory. "Our targeted stimulus package will focus on keeping Australians in jobs and keeping businesses in business so we can bounce back strongly," Mr Morrison said. Under the plan to be unveiled on Thursday, the government will offer up to $7000 each quarter for each apprentice in wage assistance to small businesses to retain existing apprentices and trainees. As well, small businesses will be able to re-employ apprentices and trainees who lose positions because of any coronavirus downturn. The wage subsidy is worth about $1.3 billion. Businesses with turnover under $50 million will have access to a tax-free payment of up to $25,000 to help boost cash flow. Eligible businesses that withhold tax to the ATO on their employees' salary and wages will receive a payment equal to 50 per cent of the amount withheld, up to a maximum payment of $25,000. Businesses that pay salary and wages will receive a minimum $2000, even those not required to withhold tax. It's estimated the measure will cost $6.7 billion over four years, benefiting almost 700,000 businesses and 7.8 million workers. The government will also spend $700 million over four years to expand the instant asset write-off. The threshold will be raised from $30,000 to $150,000 and expand access to businesses from an annual turnover from up to $50 million to $500 million. It's expected to drive interest in the purchases of cars, utes and trucks, harvesters and tradies' equipment. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the government could only roll out the package because the budget and economy was at a position of strength. "The government has worked hard over the last six and a half years to return the budget to balance so we have the flexibility to respond to the serious economic challenges posed by the coronavirus," he said. "In our response, we have been very careful not to repeat the mistakes of previous stimulus programs and not undermine the structural integrity of the budget." Meanwhile, Mr Morrison has urged big business to support workers during the coronavirus crisis or risk brand damage. "I'd be encouraging employers to take a flexible and forward-leaning approach in supporting their employees during this process," he told reporters in Canberra. Mr Frydenberg met with bank CEOs on Wednesday to discuss the impact of the virus on the economy. "Australia's banking system is strong and well capitalised to support households and businesses during this challenging time," he said. Banks will offer a range of assistance, from waiving fees and charges to interest-free periods, debt consolidation and a deferral of scheduled loan repayments. Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said Labor would support any necessary funding for the virus response. "The cost of inaction will be far greater than the cost of action," he said. Mr Albanese said workforce issues would have to be solved, particularly for health sector staff. The Australian Council of Trade Unions has demanded the government legislate two weeks of paid leave for all workers to deal with the virus.

The attorney-general Christian Porter has suggested the higher rate of hourly pay casual workers receive mean many will have “already made provisions” if forced to take two-weeks unpaid leave because of the coronavirus crisis, and the government will not “jump to a solution in anticipation of a problem”. As the government struggles to answer what solutions it is putting in place for Australia’s 3.3 million unsecured workforce, who do not receive sick leave entitlements, Porter told the ABC he did not expect it to be a universal problem. “Many people would have already made provisions for that because of course the purpose of casual employment is that you’re paid extra in-lieu of the types of entitlements,” he said. “If it is the case that large numbers of people in particular industry sectors by virtue of the casual nature of their employment are having these types of problems and that is something we’re aware could happen, that is something that can be responded to, likely through the welfare system, but there might be other options. “We’re not going to jump to a solution in anticipation of a problem that is broad before that problem has arisen or we reasonably know that it will arise.” Morrison warns coronavirus hit could be worse than GFC amid recession predictions Read more Earlier, Labor had warned the Morrison government not to drag its feet on help for casual workers in the midst of a looming coronavirus employment crisis, after a roundtable discussion on the issue led to no concrete solutions for vulnerable employees. Tony Burke and Linda Burney said Australia’s casual and contract workforce could not afford to wait to learn whether or not they would be paid sick leave in the event they were forced to self-isolate for two weeks. “If casuals aren’t given that reassurance sooner rather than later we run the risk people will turn up to work when they’re sick because they simply cannot afford to stay home and lose their pay,” the Labor MPs said. “This isn’t just about supporting Australia’s often vulnerable or insecure casual workers – it’s about containing the spread of this virus.” The government is yet to say whether or not it will support workers without sick leave entitlements as part of its coronavirus stimulus package. Porter, who led a roundtable discussion with unions and employer and business groups on Tuesday, said the challenges faced by casual workers would be “one of the many things that need to be considered” by the government, but gave no answers on how it would do that. “I think we’re preferring to see this problem as about how we make sure that businesses keep employing people and provide the goods and services that we rely on during challenging times,” he said afterwards. “Of course there’s a sectorial component to that with different parts of the workforce being affected differently. We listened very carefully to what the unions have had to say, obviously, but they certainly weren’t the only voice in the room.” The head of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Sally McManus, said the government needed to prioritise supporting casual workers who would be forced to take unpaid time off work to ensure the coronavirus was “contained and controlled”. Facebook Twitter Pinterest ACTU secretary Sally McManus listens as industrial relations minister Christian Porter speaks during the coronavirus roundtable. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP “We do have to think about small businesses, because they’re also going to struggle if there’s a further downturn and so, for that reason, that’s why the government needs to play a role in supporting those workers and those contractors, small businesses in order to make sure people can look after themselves and keep healthy but also so the economy can keep operating,” she said. “In terms of big business, we heard some encouraging signs today from big business representatives there, where they were saying that they’re ready to support their workforce and we’re ready to work with them to make sure that that happens as well.” Labor has previously called for Newstart-like payments to be made available to any workers without sick pay who find themselves forced to self-isolate for two weeks. The Australian Council of Social Service said it would welcome any form of assistance for vulnerable workers, including one-off stimulus payments, but called for the unemployment payment to be raised as a permanent measure. Speaking to the Australian Financial Review business summit in Sydney on Tuesday, Scott Morrison said businesses, unions and even state governments needed to play their own role in steering Australia’s economy through the pandemic. Australian government stimulus package promises financial support 'as fast as possible' Read more “All of us are in a position today to be able to do what we need to do, over the course of this virus crisis to strengthen and see the Australian economy through,” he said. “And it requires I think that mindset, if you want to have a bounce back stronger on the other side, then it will require I think using those balance sheets that you’ve built for such a time as this, to ensure that Australia emerges stronger.” Porter also warned unions against the “temptation” to take industrial action during the pandemic, a prospect which has not been floated, as the government worked to protect supply chains. “I think this is a very bad time for industrial action. I mean, there will always be a temptation to have industrial action when it has the greatest effect,” he said. “Industrial action of any type at the moment would have a very, very large and negative effect. The reality is that there are already businesses suffering from disruptions to supply chains – that will mean that it will become harder for them to produce the goods and services that we all rely on every day.”

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The best way to manage market risks would be to invest your long-term money in equity MFs through SIP. Equity investments are subject to market risks. Although the impact of market risks gradually diminishes over time, but to minimise the impact, one should make periodic investment instead of lump sum investment. Entering the equity market through this periodic investments in called Systematic Investment Plan – popularly known as SIP. Moreover, to reduce company-specific risks, instead of investing in one company, you should invest in a number of companies across sectors to diversify your portfolio or investment in an equity mutual fund (MF) scheme, which has ready-made diversified portfolio in place. So, the best way to manage risk would be to invest your long-term money in equity MFs through SIP. To know how SIP minimises risks by investing in both high and low markets through rupee-cost averaging and to get answers on many other queries, you may take help of Mr. SIP, a self-learning, non-biased, conversational Voice Bot, launched by Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Company (Kotak Mutual Fund). Aimed to increase awareness about mutual fund investments and mitigate market volatility risks, especially for the millennials, Mr. SIP would constantly upgrade itself based on the queries it receives, which enables the Voice Bot to provide optimal answers to investors. You may avail Mr. SIP in English language either on kotakmf.com or on Google Assist by saying “Talk to Kotak Mutual Fund” and by saying “Hi” on WhatsApp (9321-88-44-88). Talking on launch of the Voice Bot, Nilesh Shah, MD & CEO, Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Company said, “Mutual fund industry’s growth is largely driven by SIP investments as more and more investors have realised the benefits of risk mitigation that SIP offers for long term investments. However, there is a large population that is still wary of investing in mutual funds as they don’t have easy access to clear their doubts. Our Mr. SIP does just that – uses cutting-edge technology to answers all investor queries so we can reach Kona Kona of India, as we believe SIP is one of the best ways to safeguard investments from market volatility over a long period of time”.

As a policyholder, know that even a cashless facility can be denied in a network hospital. Cashless health insurance is one of the main attractions of health insurance policies. Policyholders pay premiums and in case of hospitalization, the insurance company bears the costs up to the limit of the policy’s sum insured amount. Hence, as part of the contract, the insurer is liable to pay the claim to the hospital on behalf of the insured. However, there can be times where the insurance company does not settle the policyholder’s claim. (Both at network or non-network hospitals). Cashless Claims: In a cashless claim, the policyholder does not pay the hospital bills in case of hospitalization and the insurer pays for the same. This happens with networking hospitals. The hospitals that offer cashless claims for every hospitalization to the policyholder, enter into an agreement with insurers and are part of the list of network hospitals of that insurance company. Reimbursement Claims: In case of a reimbursement claim, the policyholder has to pay the hospital bills, which then is reimbursed by the insurer. Those that are not on such a list of the insurance company are called non-network hospitals and claims are processed on a reimbursement basis. When a cashless claim can be denied: As a policyholder, know that even a cashless facility can be denied in a network hospital. This can happen if the information sent by the hospital where the policyholder is admitted, is insufficient. It could also happen if the illness is not covered under the policy or if the request for pre-authorization is not sent in time. The hospital needs to give all the details required for the insurer to arrive at a decision, in a cashless situation. When such pieces of information are not given properly, a claim is rejected. However, even if the cashless facility is denied at one hospital, a policyholder gets the treatment from the hospital by paying out of his/her own pocket and can subsequently, submit the claim for reimbursement, on discharge from the hospital. This could also work when in case of a medical emergency, a policyholder gets oneself or a family member admitted to a hospital which might not be a network hospital with the insurance policy. In that case, the cashless claim will be denied, but the policyholder can get the expenses reimbursed from the insurer.

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Send this page to someone via email Police say a woman in Newfoundland has been arrested for a second time for allegedly refusing to stay inside after arriving from outside the province, contravening public health measures put in place to combat COVID-19. The 53-year-old was arrested in the Curling area of Corner Brook, N.L., Thursday morning – one day after she was released from custody for contravening special orders under Newfoundland and Labrador’s Public Health Protection and Promotion Act. [ Sign up for our Health IQ newsletter for the latest coronavirus updates ] READ MORE: N.L. recalls legislature for ‘urgent’ protections for employees, tenants She is currently back in custody awaiting a court appearance. The woman has been charged with failing to abide by the special measures order and two counts of breaching a release order. Contravening orders under the public health emergency measures could lead to a fine between $500 and $2,500 or a jail sentence of up to six months. Story continues below advertisement 2:05 Coronavirus outbreak: Nova Scotia says it will get tough on people ignoring social distancing Coronavirus outbreak: Nova Scotia says it will get tough on people ignoring social distancing Const. James Cadigan with the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary says only one person has been arrested for offences related to the province’s emergency orders as of Thursday morning. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 26, 2020.

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — Police in western Newfoundland say a woman arrested for refusing to stay at home after she returned from a trip outside the province is expected to make a court appearance today. The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary says the 53-year-old woman was arrested Tuesday in Corner Brook for violating public health emergency orders aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19. Const. James Cadigan says officers responded to complaints alleging the woman was not self-isolating for 14 days, as required under the Public Health Protection and Promotion Act. Cadigan says officers spoke to the woman and arrested her for failing to comply with the law, which could lead to a fine between $500 and $2,500 and a jail sentence of up to six months. The police spokesman confirmed a public reporting system introduced on the weekend has received more than 400 complaints from people reporting suspected contraventions of health directives. Cadigan says police have resolved 27 complaints by contacting the person and educating them about the measures, but in the Corner Brook case the woman was not compliant and was held in a jail cell overnight.“If you’re going to put our community at risk, we will follow up on those measures,” Cadigan said. The woman was to appear in court via video link This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 25, 2020. The Canadian Press

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A woman’s footage of an apparent TV theft in Langford has been shared hundreds of times on social media. Shannon Burnside shared a post on New Year’s Eve around 4:30 p.m. of a black SUV with a stolen TV hanging out of the back passenger’s side door. A man can be seen running alongside the car and jumping in before the driver speeds off, narrowly missing stopped vehicles. READ ALSO: Brazen theft caught on tape in Victoria bicycle store “These guys just stole this TV from Superstore,” Burnside wrote. West Shore RCMP say they received a report of a stolen TV from the Langford Superstore and the incident remains under investigation. Management at Superstore declined for comment. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Send this page to someone via email It appears Boxing Week deals weren’t good enough for a pair of alleged thieves in Langford, B.C. The pair were captured on camera hustling a flat screen television out of the Victoria suburb’s Superstore, and into a waiting SUV — before fleeing in a panic with the door still open and the TV hanging out. READ MORE: More downtown Vancouver store owners say violent shoplifting is getting worse Shannon Burnside told Global News the duo actually pushed her out of the way as they scrambled out the store’s “in” door, and partially loaded the television into the vehicle. She said the SUV then almost drove off without one of the men “who was literally caught with his pants down.” In the video, one of the alleged thieves can be seen appearing to break his stride to pull his pants up as the SUV jerks to a stop for him to jump in. Story continues below advertisement READ MORE: Vancouver police change tone on rise in violent shoplifting incidents Management at the Superstore declined to comment. Global News has requested comment from the West Shore RCMP. Burnside said staff at the store thanked her for shooting the video, and wondered where the security guard had been.

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Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum, photo by Lexie Moreland On April 2nd, Michael C. Hall’s new band Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum will release their self-titled debut EP. The group, comprised of Hall and his two Broadway co-stars, Peter Yanowitz and Matt Katz-Bohen, previously teased the effort with last month’s “Come Talk To Me”. Today, they’re sharing a new single called “Love American Style” and an accompanying music video. Though not as upbeat as its disco-like predecessor, “Love American Style” is still outfitted for dance floor shenanigans (while we’re in quarantine, any given living room will do). Here, the song’s groovy bassline thumps consistently as thick synths and shimmering keys gradually enter the mix. The Dexter star’s voice is drenched in otherworldly distortion and blissful reverb, and he ascends to an impressively high-pitched belt during the momentous chorus. The single’s video is just as alluring, a kaleidoscopic collage of people dancing in slow-motion, gushing waterfalls, and a tantalizing array of chromatic effects. Take it all in below, and be sure to look out for the group’s appearance on This Must Be the Gig next Wednesday, April 1st. Hall and his bandmates initially announced the formation of Butterfly Museum late last year alongside the release of their first single, “Ketamine”. The three musicians got the idea for the project while working together on the Tony Award-winning Broadway production Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which starred Hall. While Hall is best known for his lead roles in Dexter and Six Feet Under, his Butterfly Museum bandmates also have noteworthy track records. Yanowitz drummed in The Wallflowers, formed the indie band Morningwood, and has collaborated with the likes of Andrew W.K. and Yoko Ono. For the last decade, Katz-Bohen has toured and recorded with Blondie and has also played keys for Cyndi Lauper.

Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum Late last year, actor Michael C. Hall announced a new supergroup called Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum. Formed alongside fellow musicians and former Broadway co-stars Peter Yanowitz (The Wallflowers) and Matt Katz-Bohen (Blondie), the trio previously shared its debut single with the slow burning “Ketamine”. Now, the band is back with a second offering. Titled “Come and Talk to Me”, it’s a much more upbeat and colorful listen. Hall’s falsetto leads the way on the dance track, riding high above disco-style synths provided by his bandmates. “Come and talk to me, my lover,” the Dexter and Six Feet Under star lures in almost loop-like repetition. Hear it for yourself below. These two singles will appear on Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum’s debut EP, reportedly out in April. Outside of music, Hall recently had a role in the Amazon political drama The Report starring Adam Driver and Annette Bening. Additionally, Hall, who previously starred in Hedwig and the Angry Inch and David Bowie’s Lazarus musical, appeared in a 2019 Broadway production actually called Skittles Commercial. In a new interview with Billboard, Hall said that his past Broadway projects helped lead to the formation of the new band, “Well, Hedwig was the first chance I had to front a band, albeit dressed in full drag and platform heels… and it gave me a good taste of what that feels like. But, I was playing a character and singing someone else’s songs with a bunch of musicians who were playing someone else’s songs, whereas in this case, it really belongs to all of us and emerges from us, so it’s a very different thing. But yeah, I think Hedwig was maybe what led me on the road to feeling what it was like to front a band, which led me to, in a way, doing the David Bowie musical, Lazarus. In hindsight, all roads seem like they were leading to this.”

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A CRAFT shop in Caversham held a fundraising day for a boy battling cancer for the third time. Artisans Handmade UK in Church Street raised £250 by selling cakes donated by residents, supporters and its sellers. There was also a tombola and raffle with prizes including chocolates, mugs, toiletries and wine as well as a “guess the name of the bear” competition. The event was in aid of 12-year-old Charlie Ilsley, of Buckingham Drive, Emmer Green, who has been undergoing treatment on and off since he was first diagnosed in 2015 and was given the all-clear twice only for the disease to return in November. Charlie visited the shop with his mother Toni and the fundraising was continuing this week. The pop-up shop, which opened in September, was launched by Kellie Henderson and Elisa Lionetti with the aim of providing the community with a wide range of unique, handcrafted products made by local people. Mrs Henderson thanked everyone who attended on Saturday. She said: “We have raised money for different charities and I wanted to do something more local. “I’ve got 12-year-old twins so I wanted to do anything I could to help. It was lovely having Charlie here — it really made a difference. For 50p cakes, I think the amount we raised was a great achievement. It would have been a lot better had the weather not been so bad.” Mrs Ilsley said: “It was really nice of Kellie to do this. My neighbour Janice Judd made quiches and scones and I went to Waitrose and bought a chocolate cake and a Victoria sponge and when I got there there were loads already.”

TREATMENT for a boy battling cancer for a third time is “going to plan”, says his mother. Charlie Ilsley, 12, of Buckingham Drive, Emmer Green, returned home from Cologne on Monday after a second round of dendritic immunotherapy. The procedure should programme his body to identify and fight the cancer cells. He then had another round of chemotherapy on Tuesday. Charlie’s mother Toni said: “I spoke to the German doctor who thought treatment was going to plan as Charlie’s tumour markers in his blood are coming down.” She said that between treatments, her son enjoying going to see the new Star Wars film, The Rise of Skywalker. Charlie has been fighting cancer since 2015 and has twice been given the all-clear following treatment only for the disease to return in November.

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*Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs debuted his salt-and-pepper beard in a video urging fans to support healthcare officials who are tackling the coronavirus pandemic. The 50-year-old music mogul surprised fans with his new look, and many hit the comment section of the post to gush about his grey hair, Hollywood Life reports. Speaking in a video that he posted to Instagram on Sunday, Diddy called for people to “get involved” in the battle against the deadly COVID-19. Ironically, he then fired shots at “men with grey” controlling people’s destiny. Check out his IG post below. OTHER NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED: Black Couple Create Social Media Platform Being Used by College Students in 196 Countries In the clip, Diddy notes the impact that the coronavirus is having around the world, and how the public needs to “wake up and know what we’re into and try to figure out how to f-cking save each other. F-ck the politics and the bureaucracy.. old hair, white men with grey hair, f-cking controlling our destiny? …they don’t have power. We have the power. The power of unity cannot be broken.” He added, “We can’t just sit back and leave our healthcare workers abandoned and unprotected,” he captioned the video. “Over the next few days, I’ll be locked in and focused on finding ways to directly support our healthcare workers, but I don’t have all the answers. If you want to help or have any great ideas, please reach out to me now! God bless us all. #teamlove.” Combs also slammed President Donald Trump over his administration’s handling of the coronavirus. “We also can’t expect someone that [doesn’t] give a f-ck about us to save us… It’s not Trump’s fault. He doesn’t give a f-ck about us,” he said. Hear Diddy tell it via the clip above.

It looks like Deyjah Harris is finally telling her side of things after her father T.I. made some interesting comments about her virginity last year. Last November, the “Live Your Life” rapper admitted to going to his 18-year-old daughter’s gynecologist’s appointments with her to confirm that her hymen was still “intact” to ensure she was a virgin. Deyjah Harris and T.I. @princess_of_da_south and @troubleman/Instagram “So we’ll go and sit down and the doctor will come and talk and the doctor’s maintaining a high level of professionalism,” T.I. told the “Ladies Like Us” podcast hosts. “He’s like, ‘You know sir, I have to, in order to share information’… I’m like, ‘Deyjah they want you to sign this so we can share information. Is there anything you wouldn’t want me to know? Oh, ok. See doc, no problem.’” After receiving major backlash from social media users, the rapper eventually apologized for his comments. Deyjah, on the other hand, remained mute until now. On the new season of “T.I. & Tiny: Friends & Family Hustle,” the teenager finally broke her silence about her father’s remarks and how it impacted her. She said in the new trailer, “After all of this, it’s changed, honestly.” Her stepmother and T.I.’s wife, Tiny Harris, said that her husband “has a way of taking things a little too far.” Another scene showed T.I. saying that nobody can tell him how to “raise” his children. The father of six later apologized to his daughter for his comments on Jada Pinkett Smith‘s “Red Table Talk.” “She did have a problem with me talking about it and I understand that and I am incredibly apologetic to her for that,” he said on the Facebook series. Despite T.I. apologizing to his daughter, fans are looking forward to hearing Deyjah’s side of things. (L to R): Messiah Harris, Domani Harris, T.I. and Tiny Harris, Zonnique Pullins, Deyjah Harris; (front row): King Harris, Heiress Harris, Major Harris (Photo by @majorgirl/Instagram) “Poor Deyjah, Tip so incredibly narcissistic it’s disgusting. I’m waiting to see what she says. We finally get to her side of the truth 🗣” “Only story I wanna hear is Deyjah’s … Your story always the same TI 😭 “ “Idc hes sick to me. It’s cool if you don’t want her having sex young but at some point you have to realise you’re just shaming her. and it’s probably damaging their relationship, cos if anything ever happens to her he’s gonna be the last person she tells” “Oop mama tip wasn’t with it 😩 no one is telling him how to parent they just saying don’t tell your kids business to the world 🙄” “This is going to drag out forever I feel bad for his daughter bc that was really unnecessary. I wanna hear what she gone say” “Friends and Family Hustle” airs on VH1 on Monday, April 13 at 9 p.m. ET.

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Over 3 million people read Morning Brew ; you should too! Loading Something is loading. Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy Beauty entrepreneur Steve Mormoris has plans to revolutionize and revitalize the fragrance industry. By launching Scent Beauty — a subsidiary of his main company, EDGE Beauty — Mormoris aims to partner with brands, charities, celebrities, and influencers to create unique scents that each serve as an emblem of the person who made it, and the political stance it embodies. On the heels of releasing a scent with legendary singer Cher, Mormoris sat down with Business Insider to discuss how he plans to shake up the fragrance world. "I was at Coty for 15 years." [It was] an amazing company that was a game changer in terms of growing its leadership in fragrance, in cosmetics, and in skincare. And I think part of the magic ingredient of their growth had to do with constant innovation in product, breaking boundaries in terms of distribution models. "[But] I had a yearning and a need to create my own company." [My business] is really based on a whole new paradigm: that people have moved more to direct-to-consumer marketing; that millennials and generation Z are consuming beauty products in a very different way, through storytelling and through digital marketing. People are embracing the idea of scent very differently. Steve Mormoris standing next to actress Halle Berry in 2011. At the time, Mormoris was the SVP of Global Marketing at Coty. Dimitrios Kambouris / Staff / Getty Images "I saw the whole rise of artists, brands, and of social media." The fact that very small companies came out of nowhere, entering the social media world and creating a retail platform to sell products — a light bulb went off in my head, and I said, 'Oh, this would be a great forum to create very interesting brands in fragrance where we are simply partnering with new brands.' "We don't have a strategy specifically focused on big names." As a company, we're going to pride ourselves in creating what I call "craft fragrances" or "unique fragrances" that are highly curated. So the idea isn't to be big, but it's to be meaningful ... We're also launching an interesting concept called "Scent Lounge" where we are looking at micro-influencers from all over the world, who show the diversity of the world — whether they're from India or Africa or Japan or the United States. And they're of all sexualities and ethnicities. Scent Beauty You can make an argument that macro-influencers have become highly sought after revenue models for many companies. So, in this context, I'd say one of the beauties of micro-influencers is that when, if they decide they want to create a fragrance with us, we know that they are completely passionate about doing this — not just to make money, but to actually reach their fan base. And very often you'll see that micro-influencers have a much higher degree of engagement and following than a macro-influencer does. "All companies and all brands strive for this concept of authenticity." The difference is today, people find authenticity in a messaging that tends to be relational rather than transactional. So very often consumers like a brand that admits they make mistakes, that asks them to participate in the creation of the brand, or is involved in the charity giving or making the planet better ... I think authenticity has reached a new level of texture, really because consumers have mobile phones in which they're just able to interact with brands, but on a more frequent basis than 30 years ago where you would only interact with the brand when you saw [it on] the television. "Fragrance has an emotional benefit." It has mood altering benefits and self enhancement benefits. In the history of mankind, people had fragrances to make them feel good about themselves, to feel sexual, to feel productive, to feel individual. "The word "scent" has a much larger aperture and meaning to people across the world." We felt strongly [that] we should not repeat the word "fragrance" because it does restrict you into a world where people are using a product primarily for sex, and seduction, and social status. We saw that all the generations that are now wearing fragrance were actually wearing it as scent. That means that they could use a roller ball, essential oils that they carry in their pocket. They could be wearing a wax fragrance and they could be buying scented drawer paper. They could be spraying a fragrance in their hair. Even in categories like dry shampoo and hand washes, we see a lot of beautiful scent experiences. "We'll be launching a line of fragrances with Sam Edelman, an iconic shoe designer from New York." [He's] one of many to come in the fashion segment. We have really reinvented the celebrity category with this concept of what we call "Icon Series," where we have different artists who express themselves in an olfactory way. We've started with Cher, the musical artist. We're also launching a fragrance for Renee Fleming, Andre Leon Talley. Cher Eau de Couture created by legendary singer, Cher. Scent Beauty "We've decided to give a percentage of our profits to charity." One of the charities we've partnered with is called Ditch the Label, which is an anti-bullying charity; another is called the Forgotten Harvest, which [gives] excess surplus food [to] the homeless. And another one called Project Aware, which is a program trying to clean the oceans of plastics. "When we create fragrance, we're not looking to please everyone." We're really looking at creating fragrances that are polarizing in the best sense of the word — where we create very signature fragrances for some brands that [are] so good, people [can] associate [the scent] with that brand, and either people will love [the scent] or not like [it]. "As a culturally curious person, I'm always on the lookout for new, interesting brands, people, trends." One of the goals is to become the leading innovator of scent to the world, and offering that through a multitude of curated, unique brands that are culturally relevant ... I also think that one of my personal goals is [to make sure] that we've made a difference, and [that] we've made a difference [specifically] to the consumer.

KFC rolled out its controversial Chicken & Donuts on Thursday. BI senior correspondent Hayley Peterson tried the new menu during its test run in September, and a team of Business Insider reporters tried it on Thursday. Tasters agreed that although the chicken-and-doughnuts combo tasted like sweet, artery-clogging death, it was also the most delicious new item that KFC has come out with in a long time. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. KFC is rolling out its controversial Chicken & Donuts menu nationwide. The new menu features pairings of glazed doughnuts and the chain's classic fried chicken. One of the new menu items is a fried-chicken-and-doughnut sandwich. Customers can also order a basket of fried chicken on the bone or chicken tenders with one or two doughnuts or add a doughnut to any meal for $1. BI senior correspondent Hayley Peterson tried the new menu at a KFC restaurant in a Chester, Virginia location, in September during the test run, and on Thursday, KFC brought Business Insider's New York office a sample case of the new menu items. Here's what we thought:

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By EUobserver A member of Russia's ruling party has proposed amending the constitution in a way that would reset president Vladimir Putin's term count back to zero, the Guardian writes. Currently, Putin is required by the constitution to step down in 2024 when his second sequential presidential term ends. If the amendment is approved Putin could thus be able to remain president of Russia until 2036.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday opened the door to constitutional changes that would allow him to remain in power until 2036, but said he favored term limits once the country became politically "mature".

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JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – On Thursday, Governor Tate Reeves announced his request for disaster assistance for Mississippi citizens impacted by the Pearl River flooding and severe weather in February 2020. Reeves is requesting Federal Declaration for Public Assistance to help recover from the flooding and storms. “Mississippians are strong and resilient, but the historic flooding and severe weather we experienced is more than anyone should have to recover from alone. When disaster strikes and a fellow Mississippian is in need, we lend a helping hand. I want to thank all the hardworking men and women who helped complete these damage assessments to ensure every community hit can receive the necessary assistance to recover,” said Reeves. According to a media release from his office, joint public assistance damage assessments were conducted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Mississippi Emergency Management Agency Public Assistance personnel, along with local governments. Assessments began on March 9, 2020, in the following counties: Attala, Carroll, Claiborne, Clay, Copiah, Grenada, Hinds, Holmes, Leflore, Warren, and Yazoo. After the completion of all damage assessments, it was determined that each of those eleven counties met the threshold to receive assistance. Issaquena and Sharkey Counties were also included in the joint damage assessments, but due to ongoing flooding, the damage could not be assessed. The damage in these areas will be assessed at a later date. Reeves also stated he also requesting disaster assistance from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for Central Mississippi communities affected by the Pearl River flooding on February 10-14, 2020. He sent a letter to SBA Director Kem Fleming asking that low-interest loans be made available to aid small businesses and property owners in Hinds and Madison Counties damaged by the historic flooding.

JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Governor Tate Reeves announced disaster assistance for Mississippi businesses and residents affected by the Pearl River flooding on February 10-14, 2020. He sent a letter to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) requesting a Federal Declaration for Public Assistance to make loans available to those impacted. The declaration covers Hinds and Madison counties, as well as the following adjacent counties: Attala, Claiborne, Copiah, Holmes, Leake, Rankin, Scott, Simpson, Warren, and Yazoo. Residents and businesses in those counties can apply for low-interest disaster loans from SBA. “The historic flooding we experienced in February was more than anyone anticipated—and more than anyone should have to recover from alone. The people and businesses in the path of the Pearl River are still recovering from the recent devastation and deserve a helping hand. Working with the U.S. Small Business Administration, I am committed to helping Mississippi businesses and communities get back on their feet and thrive,” said Governor Tate Reeves. For small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations, the SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. Economic Injury Disaster Loan assistance is available regardless of whether the business suffered any physical property damage. Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website at Disasterloan.sba.gov. Anyone applying through the website can also receive one-on-one assistance by calling the SBA helpdesk and speaking with a customer service representative. Businesses and individuals may also obtain information and loan applications by calling the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 (1-800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing), or by emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Loan applications can also be downloaded at www.sba.gov. Completed applications should be returned to the center or mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.

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Weekdays at 11:30 a.m. EST, Newsfeed Now will be streaming the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak utilizing our newsrooms across the country. If you miss the live report, you’ll be able to see a replay minutes after the stream ends. (KARK/NEXSTAR) – The United States now leads the world in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases. A nurse is dead. A paramedic is in critical condition. Coronavirus is taking a toll on New York City — and the men and women on the front lines of the fight. https://t.co/HQQsGEKORv — The Associated Press (@AP) March 27, 2020 According to a running count by Johns Hopkins University, the number of people infected in the U.S. topped 82,000 on Thursday. That’s just ahead of the 81,000 cases in China and 80,000 in Italy. Italy has the most confirmed deaths of any country with more than 8,000. More than 1,000 people have died in the U.S. Other stories in today’s show: STIMULUS DEAL: The US House is taking up the historic $2 trillion coronavirus aid package. While there are some disagreements, both parties see the need to pass the bill as urgent. Washington reporter Jessi Turnure joins the conversation. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, left, accompanied by White House Legislative Affairs Director Eric Ueland and acting White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, walks to the offices of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky. on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 24, 2020. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) For the full story: CLICK HERE. A WIFE’S LOSS: The wife of a Johnson County man who lost his battle with COVID-19 is speaking out. She wants people to know about who her husband was beyond the disease. WDAF’s Sherae Honeycutt reports. For the full story: CLICK HERE. HOUSECALL: Ring doorbell video captured a man dressed in a doctor’s coat on the doorsteps of a home in Alabama Wednesday afternoon. Turns out, he’s a real doctor who’s making house calls to several of his patients if they can’t leave home during the coronavirus pandemic. WKRG’s Blake Brown reports. For the full story: CLICK HERE. ACTS OF KINDNESS: WGNO Reporter Kenny Lopez is collecting acts of kindness to share some good in these stressful times. For the full story: CLICK HERE. Weekdays at 11:30 a.m. EST, Newsfeed Now will be streaming the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak utilizing our newsrooms across the country. If you miss the live report, you’ll be able to see a replay minutes after the stream ends.

Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Joe Biden leads the Democratic primary field in Pennsylvania with 22 percent, according to a new poll, but that is down from 30 percent in October. Former Vice President Joe Biden remains the front-runner in Pennsylvania among Democrats, according to a new poll, while just 41 percent of registered voters said President Donald Trump deserves re-election. In the latest Franklin and Marshall College poll released Thursday, Biden was supported by 22 percent of Democrats, but that was down from the school’s October poll. Biden was followed by Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders at 15 percent, Massachusetts U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 14 percent and billionaire businessman Michael Bloomberg with 7 percent. The remaining Democratic primary candidates had 6 percent or less support in the poll. F&M College’s October poll had Biden with 30 percent, leading Warren, who had 18 percent, and Sanders at 12 percent. Bloomberg had not yet entered the race when that poll was taken. When asked who their second choice for president would be, 26 percent of Democrats said Warren, followed by Sanders and Biden tied at 18 percent each, and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg with 11 percent. A statement from F&M College pollsters said the contest between Biden, Warren and Sanders "is driven by ideology" with 72 percent of Sanders voters and 73 percent of Warren supporters identifying themselves as liberal, compared to just 40 percent of Biden supporters. Pennsylvania’s primary is on April 28. Twenty percent of Democrats said healthcare is their top issue in picking a candidate and 42 percent said honesty is the quality they want most in one. Trump’s numbers remain worrisome for Republicans, but while only 41 percent said he deserves re-election that is up from October when 37 percent said he did. Fifty-seven percent said it is time for a change in the White House, compared to 59 percent in October. Asked to rate Trump’s job performance, 21 percent rated it as excellent, 17 percent as good, 12 percent as fair and 49 percent as poor. Of the respondents supporting Trump, 83 percent said they would vote for him no matter who ran against him, while 87 percent of people opposing him said they would vote against him regardless of which Democrat challenges him. Trump and the top three Democratic candidates are all underwater when it comes to their favorable/unfavorable ratings. F&M College found that Trump was at 41 percent/55 percent, Biden was at 43 percent/47 percent, Sanders was at 39 percent/54 percent and Warren was at 37 percent/46 percent. Regionally, 51 percent of respondents from southwestern Pennsylvania said Trump should not be voted out while 33 percent said it is time for a change. Among the Democratic candidates, 22 percent of southwestern Pennsylvania voters chose "other" and 31 percent said they had no preferred candidate, while 15 percent picked Sanders, 14 percent went with Biden and Bloomberg, and Warren received no votes. Natural gas fracking has become an issue in the race with several Democratic candidates promising to ban the controversial extraction practice. Fifty-five percent of southwestern Pennsylvania respondents oppose a fracking ban and 28 percent support one. Philadelphia (67 percent) and Allegheny County (61 percent) had the strongest support for a fracking ban while southwestern and central Pennsylvania (47 percent) had the strongest opposition to a ban. Overall, state voters support fracking 48 percent to 44 percent. The F&M College poll surveyed 628 registered voters between Jan. 20 and 26. The margin of error is plus or minus 6.2 percentage points for the poll and plus or minus 9 percentage points for questions to 292 registered Democrats.

Nearly two-thirds of registered voters in Pennsylvania say they are highly interested in the 2020 elections — nearly as many as during the lead up to the 2018 mid-terms, according to a new poll. Of those, 41 percent believe President Donald Trump has done a good enough job to deserve re-election, while 57 percent say it’s time for a change. Those are among the findings of a new poll from Franklin & Marshall College. The poll of 628 registered voters included 292 Democrats, 251 Republicans and 85 independents. It was conducted Jan. 21-26 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 6.2 percentage points. The poll found that 38 percent believe Trump is doing a good or excellent job — slightly higher than in October. Meanwhile, the preferred presidential candidate among Democrats in Pennsylvania has grown murkier since October. Former Vice President Joe Biden continues to lead, favored by 22 percent of Democrats; but he had been favored by 30 percent of Democrats in the last F&M poll in October. Biden is followed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, favored by 15 percent (up from 12 percent in October), and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, favored by 14 percent (down from 18 percent in October). That cluster is followed by former mayors Mike Bloomberg, favored by 7 percent, and Pete Buttigieg, favored by 6 percent. Regarding Trump’s favorability rating, the poll authors note it’s similar to that of former President Barack Obama at the same point in his successful re-election campaign. As usual, Trump is far more popular among Republicans, with 77 percent having a positive view of his performance, as opposed to 31 percent of independents and eight percent of Democrats. Overall, 57 percent of those surveyed said it’s time for a different president and, of those, 87 percent said they will vote against Trump no matter what. Regarding overall enthusiasm, people who consider themselves liberals show the most, with 78 percent saying they are highly interested. That compares to 68 percent of conservatives and 61 percent of moderates. Some of the poll participants agreed to be interviewed by the news media. Brian Taylor, a Philadelphia-area Democrat, says he plans to vote for Sanders because of “his authenticity, his accountability and his consistency.” “He is also trying to take down money in politics, which is one of the biggest threats to our democracy in the modern age,” said Taylor, 29, who works for a non-profit counseling people living with HIV. He disagrees with those who argue only a moderate Democrat can defeat Trump. Rather, Sanders champions policies that benefit working people, which will win over people from both major parties and independents, according to Taylor. Andrew Maietta, an Allegheny County Democrat, says he leans toward Biden, adding “I’m not crazy” about the policies of Sanders and Warren. “I’m not in favor of the free college and I think they are a little too far to the left,” says Maietta, a retired professor of filmmaking. He says he’s also considering Sen. Amy Klobuchar, for reasons including his view her policies are “more centered,” and she doesn’t generate the level of disdain he believes many Republicans feel toward Democrats such as Biden or Hillary Clinton. Rick Hall of McKean County is a registered Democrat who says he doesn’t always vote as a Democrat and is “underwhelmed” by the Democratic field. He further says “I do not like Trump” and Trump’s handling of foreign policy “scares the crap out of me.” Still, he says “unless the Democrats come up with something else, I’ll have to vote for him.” Moreover, Hall, who is 68 and retired after spending most of his career in the steel industry, believes Trump “has done a good job” on domestic issues including the economy. Scott Mcgowan, a Libertarian, says “Trump shoots his mouth off and creates problems.” However, while stressing the election is still nearly a year away, he says, “If it was today it would be Trump” getting his vote. Some other poll findings: Just over half of the voters surveyed believe Pennsylvania is “headed in the right direction,” with 33 percent saying they are “better off” financially than a year ago, and a strong majority saying they expect to be the same or better off financially in a year. On the other hand, only 38 percent believe the United States is headed in the right direction. Forty-eight percent of voters support natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania, with 44 percent opposing it. However, 49 percent believe the environmental risks outweigh the economic benefits. Forty-eight percent favor a ban on natural gas fracking, while 39 percent oppose a ban. More from PennLive: Listen to the latest episode of PennLive’s political podcast, Battleground Pa., on your favorite app including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Podcasts. Battleground Pa. examines the changing political climate across the state leading up to the 2020 election.

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SYDNEY - A memorial to commemorate the first anniversary of the deadly mosque attacks in New Zealand has been canceled because of fears over the new coronavirus. Fifty-one people died when a gunman attacked two mosques in Christchurch a year ago. The shootings in one of New Zealand’s biggest cities were broadcast live on Facebook. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said her country of 4.5 million had "fundamentally changed" since the atrocity. New gun laws restrict the number of high-powered weapons like those used in the attacks. The alleged shooter is expected to go on trial in June. The government in Wellington has also announced tough quarantine measures to try to stop the spread of the disease. Ardern said that starting midnight Sunday, almost everyone entering New Zealand must self-isolate to contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus. "We must go hard and we must go early," Ardern said. We must do everything we can to protect the health of New Zealanders. That is exactly why to tackle this global pandemic, cabinet made far-reaching and unprecedented decisions today, because these are unprecedented circumstances.” Arrivals into New Zealand from the Pacific Islands will be exempt. The government has said the quarantine measures are the strictest in the world and would be reviewed in 16 days. Ardern also said that no cruise liners would be allowed to dock in her country until June 30. The group representing the cruise industry, the Cruise Association, has insisted the ban on passenger ships is draconian, and goes too far. Essential air and ship deliveries will continue as normal, but the economic impact of the restrictions on New Zealand is expected to be severe. Details of a government stimulus package are expected early next week.

WELLINGTON — New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced on Saturday that all travelers will have to self-isolate on their arrival to New Zealand, apart from those coming from the Pacific Islands. She said the measures — in effect as of midnight Sunday — include New Zealanders. She said her country had been relatively unscathed by coronavirus so far, with six confirmed cases and no fatalities, but the evidence showed the numbers would inevitably rise in the face of a global pandemic. "But the scale of how many cases we get and how fast we get them is something we should do as much as we can to slow," she said at Saturday’s news briefing. "We must go hard and we must go early." Ardern said the new restrictions would be reviewed by the authorities in 16 days. The prime minister also said that no cruise liners would be allowed to dock in New Zealand's ports until June 30. Meanwhile, New Zealanders have been advised to avoid all non-essential travel overseas. "There's no doubt this will have a significant impact on New Zealand's economy but our priority is to ensure we reduce the impacts of COVID-19 as much as we can," Ardern said. Ardern said essential air and ship deliveries would continue as normal. She said the restrictions were "about people, not products", stressing that there was no need for New Zealanders to "take a run on their supermarket". "If you don't need to travel overseas, then don't. Enjoy your own backyard for a time. Stop handshakes, hugs and hongi (a traditional Maori greeting in which people press their noses together). "We are a tough, resilient people. We have been here before," the PM added. New Zealand has already canceled several major events, including a memorial planned Sunday to mark the first anniversary of the Christchurch mosque shootings in which 51 people died. Ardern said more general restrictions on public gatherings would be imposed but details had not yet been finalized. — Agencies

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The City of Knoxville Parks and Recreation Department will hold its second annual Job Fair on Sunday, March 8, 2-5 p.m. at the John T. O’Connor Center, 611 Winona Street. In the coming months, Parks and Recreation will hire more than 100 people for a variety of part-time and seasonal positions, including lifeguards, summer camp staff, athletic field maintenance staff, umpires and referees, cashiers, and additional positions. The City Parks and Recreation Department manages four pools and 13 recreation/community centers and operates numerous sports leagues and recreational activities. Job fair attendees will be able to interview on site. Application forms are available at KnoxvilleTN.gov/recreation. Applicants for aquatics positions must be at least 15 years old. Applicants for summer camp staff must be at least 16. Applicants for all additional positions must be at least 18. “Many summer jobs with Parks and Rec are ideal for young people to get training and job experience that they can build upon,” says Parks and Recreation Deputy Director Aaron Browning. Knoxville Parks and Recreation Department values a diverse workforce and seeks ways to promote equity and inclusion within the organization. The Parks and Recreation Department encourages candidates with knowledge, ability and experience working with a broad range of individuals and diverse communities. Anyone needing a disability accommodation to attend should contact the City’s ADA Coordinator, Stephanie Cook, at scook@knoxvilletn.gov or 865-215-2034. For an English interpreter, contact Title VI Coordinator Tatia M. Harris at 865-215-2831. For more information, call Parks and Recreation at 865-215-4311.

Valentine's Day might be for lovers, but Galentine's Day is for the girls. The second most important holiday tradition brought into our lives by Parks and Recreation (behind Treat Yo Self Day, of course) is upon us once again! Yes, today is February 13, the same day Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) chose to gather all her gal pals for a breakfast filled with frittatas, mimosas, stories and, of course, some very thoughtful gift bags she made for each of them. Galentine's Day gave Leslie Knope a much-needed opportunity reconnect with her favorite women in the world -- and make some new friends, too! -- and it was "only the best day of the year" every single time. What makes the day even more special is that Amy Poehler and several other ladies of Parks and Rec still celebrate the annual occasion together in real life because sometimes we can have nice things. To enjoy the occasion with your own special somebodies, we pulled together some Leslie-inspired gift ideas that'll help you host your own Galentine's Day celebration. So, click through the gallery below for some key ideas, big and small! (Disclosure: Links to retailers may earn money to support our work.) PHOTOS: Galentine's Day Gift Ideas Inspired by Leslie Knope

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A police force has defended using a drone camera to shame people into not driving into a national park during the lockdown, while another force said it was introducing roadblocks to stop drivers heading to tourist hotspots. A new law came into effect on Thursday allowing police to use force to make people return home. Derbyshire police tweeted drone footage taken near Curbar Edge, in the Peak District, and said they had checked the numberplates of vehicles in the car park and found that some cars were registered to addresses in Sheffield, a 30-minute drive away. Police said members of the public should not be driving anywhere to walk their dogs or exercise. However, the Guardian checked with the Cabinet Office, which is overseeing restrictions on movement, and a spokeswoman confirmed that the guidelines did not prohibit driving somewhere for exercise or dog walking. Derbyshire police tweeted: “Despite posts yesterday highlighting issues of people still visiting the #PeakDistrict despite government guidance, the message is still not getting through. @DerPolDroneUnit have been out at beauty spots across the county, and this footage was captured at #CurbarEdge last night.” It added: “Some number plates were coming back to keepers in #Sheffield, so we know that people are travelling to visit these areas. Daily exercise should be taken locally to your home. Under government guidance all travel is limited to essential travel only. Travelling to remote areas of the #PeakDistrict for your exercise is not essential travel. PLEASE, #StayHomeSaveLives.” Quick guide UK lockdown: what are the coronavirus restrictions? Show Hide What do the restrictions involve? People in the UK will only be allowed to leave their home for the following purposes: Shopping for basic necessities, as infrequently as possible One form of exercise a day – for example a run, walk, or cycle – alone or with members of your household Any medical need, to provide care or to help a vulnerable person Travelling to and from work, but only where this is absolutely necessary and cannot be done from home Police will have the powers to enforce the rules, including through fines and dispersing gatherings. To ensure compliance with the instruction to stay at home, the government will: Close all shops selling non-essential goods, including clothing and electronic stores and other premises including libraries, playgrounds and outdoor gyms, and places of worship Stop all gatherings of more than two people in public – excluding people you live with Stop all social events, including weddings, baptisms and other ceremonies, but excluding funerals Parks will remain open for exercise, but gatherings will be dispersed. A spokesman for Derbyshire police insisted there was nothing sinister about the drone deployment. “It’s not Big Brother. It’s just to illustrate the fact that people are going out and making these journeys against the government’s rules. The rules are clear that people should avoid all non-essential travel and exercise and walk their dogs near their homes. If they drive into the Peaks and have a collision or breakdown or go for a walk and fall over, we’re the ones who will be called, or mountain rescue,” he said. The drone operator was not hidden, he added. “The pilot was standing next to a liveried police vehicle close to the car park while people were coming in and out.” Civil liberties groups criticised the sweeping powers given to police on Thursday, including the power to force people to go home, as “authoritarian” and “chilling”. Police vowed to use them if they had to do so. Play Video 4:04 Coronavirus lockdown in the UK: the dos and don'ts – video explainer Fines will start at £30, offenders can also be arrested, and police say they will try to persuade people to obey a lockdown that few expect will end in three weeks time. Clare Collier, the advocacy director at Liberty, said: “We’re extremely concerned by the extent of these coercive powers. This is a pandemic and so it should be treated as a public health issue. Instead the government is treating it as a criminal justice issue, putting resources into detaining and criminalising. “What’s concerning is what this heavy-handed approach will do to the public’s relationship with the police in the long-term. And while some people will feel reassured by a firmer police response to the pandemic, others will feel fear, especially groups who are already over-policed.” Play Video 3:09 Squats, drones and angry mayors: policing coronavirus lockdowns around the world – video report Silkie Carlo, the director of Big Brother Watch, said: “These are chilling powers that create a serious risk of arbitrary policing. Authorities are right to take robust measures to protect public health, but in truth the only way we can control the spread is through well-informed community cooperation, not just criminalisation. Basic safeguards are missing from these extraordinary powers and I’m afraid more draconian powers still are to come from the Coronavirus Act.” Martin Hewitt, the chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, who was involved in negotiations with the government about the powers, said: “I am confident the overwhelming majority of people already understand the gravity of the situation we face. There will be a small number who do not and we will engage with them, explain to them and encourage them to go home. If they refuse to do the right thing, we are fully prepared to use these new powers.” Under measures announced on Monday by Boris Johnson, members of the public are allowed out of their homes for one form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk or cycle, alone or with members of their household. The government guidance does not specify how long this exercise can last or how far a distance it can cover. It does not specifically ban driving somewhere to walk a pet or exercise, but makes clear that all non-essential travel should be avoided. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Police move on a group of three people from Cardiff Castle on 26 March. Photograph: Matthew Horwood/Getty Images In North Yorkshire, police said they would set up checkpoints to determine if drivers’ journeys were essential. The move was being introduced to ensure motorists are complying with government restrictions, North Yorkshire police said. “Officers will be stopping vehicles and asking motorists where they are going, why they are going there, and reminding them of the message to stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives,” the force said in a statement. The checkpoints will be unannounced and could be anywhere across the county. The assistant chief constable Mike Walker said: “The new and significant restrictions … spell out very clearly what each and every one of us must do to save lives. The message is clear and the warning stark: stay at home, save lives. “These are the lives of the people we know and love. Our partners, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, children, grandparents. You may never be in such a position again where your simple actions will lead directly to saving lives.” Police in west and mid-Wales have begun stopping drivers to check that their journeys are essential, and are also patrolling public spaces and tourist hotspots. Andy Williams, a Dyfed-Powys roads policing inspector, said: “More people on the roads means a greater likelihood of vehicles breaking down or being involved in an accident, which puts extra strain on the emergency services. These extra interactions also increase the chances of the virus spreading and putting more people’s lives in danger.” On Wednesday North Wales police sent a family of five home after they were caught travelling from Merseyside to Llanfairfechan for a day at the seaside. In a Facebook post, the force’s Conwy coastal unit said: “Officers are out patrolling and it is pleasing to see that most people are sticking to the government advice.”

The video will start in 8 Cancel Sign up to FREE email alerts from Mirror - The Coronavirus Briefing Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email Police are pulling over drivers and threatening fines of up to £960 as Britain's new coronavirus lockdown laws take effect. Officers in Cornwall have warned they will stop motorists suspected of heading to the beach and search their boots. In Derbyshire, police shared drone footage of dog walkers in the Peak District, shaming them for conducting non-essential travel. Civil liberties groups have reportedly slammed the police for 'Orwellian' behaviour, describing the drone recording in Derbyshire as 'over-the-top policing'. Officers were handed the right to enforce the Health Protection Regulations yesterday afternoon. Have you been affected by the coronavirus outbreak? Email webnews@mirror.co.uk (Image: Handout) They are now able to fine anyone outside their home without good reason, with penalties starting at £60 but rising to a maximum of £960 for repeat offenders. The authorities can arrest anyone who refuse to comply. Anyone who does not pay the penalty, which can be reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days, will be dragged before the courts, which have the power to issue an unlimited fine. Derbyshire Police shamed walkers in the Peak District on Twitter yesterday. A video uploaded by the force showed a car park filled with vehicles near the beauty spot of Curbar Edge. In the clip, a list of activities were deemed 'non-essential', including dog walking in the Peak District, heading to a vista to watch the sun set, stopping for an Instagram photograph and driving to a place for a walk. Derbyshire Police tweeted: "Despite posts yesterday highlighting issues of people still visiting the #PeakDistrict despite government guidance, the message is still not getting through. " @DerPolDroneUnit have been out at beauty spots across the county, and this footage was captured at #CurbarEdge last night. (Image: Plymouth D Section Response/SWNS) (Image: Ben Lack Photography Ltd) "Whilst the government has advised to take one form of exercise a day, it is not appropriate to be getting in your car and travelling to take this exercise, particularly to a location, such as the Peak District that in normal times can become busy. "We saw last week where such places in Derbyshire and other parts of the country became dangerously overcrowded, making social distancing extremely hard, and in fact today our officers have had to break up a group having a picnic. "These are all lovely things to do but not in the middle of a pandemic that is literally costing people their lives. (Image: Barcroft Media via Getty Images) "Our actions and the government’s advice are there to keep you and others safe and ensure that our NHS is able to cope in order to save as many lives as possible." A spokesman for the force told The Guardian the footage was not ' Big Brother ' behaviour. They said the video showed people were breaking Government rules, adding that they should walk their dogs near their homes. It comes after police set up road blocks in the streets to enforce social isolation. On Wednesday a family-of-five from Merseyside who arrived in North Wales for a day out at the seaside were stopped by police and told to return home, The Liverpool Echo reported. Check points were established in Plymouth, Devon, and in several places across Cornwall. As of yesterday, a total of 150 vehicles were checked in Penzance, Hayle, and St Ives to find out whether their journeys were essential. Plymouth D Section Response took to Twitter to share a picture of their roadblock. They tweeted: "We are continuing our work again this morning with road calming measures and enquiries ref essential travel, consider this now the norm. "Officers have also deployed to various supermarkets to assist with queuing flows and social distancing."

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When Canadian wine icon Harry McWatters suddenly passed away last summer, the sense of loss that so many felt went well beyond his personal relationships. At McWatters’ service in Penticton, many of the 1,500 in attendance wondered who might fill the void in the B.C. wine industry which he helped forge and cultivate for more than 40 years. The Chefs’ Table Society of B.C. quickly recognized the need to salute McWatters’ legacy. “Our member chefs serve hundreds of bottles of B.C. wines every day,” said Robert Belcham, president of Chefs’ Table. “I like to think there’s a little bit of Harry in every one of them. In retrospect, it’s astounding what Harry and his fellow pioneers accomplished in just over three decades — B.C. wines are securely on the global map.” In honour of McWatters, Chefs’ Table is launching a new scholarship through the Okanagan College Foundation with an initial contribution of $2,000 per annum for a minimum period of five years. Students who are enrolled in a wine or tourism program at Okanagan College and participating in an international education experience will be eligible for the scholarship. “We’ve donated first, but it’s really a call to action: We invite industry associations, wineries and private individuals to enhance our gift by donating online or contacting the Okanagan College Foundation and pledging their support,” said Belcham. McWatters is a legend in the world of the British Columbia wine industry. He was perhaps best known as the founder of Sumac Estate Winery and as the director of the British Columbia Wine Institute. McWatters is remembered in the industry as a leader in developing quality standards for wine growing, wine making, and wine marketing. READ MORE: Prestigious award renamed for late wine industry pioneer Harry McWatters “Harry’s mentorship is rightly legendary,” said Jonathan Rouse, associate dean of the Okanagan School of Business and director of food, wine and tourism at Okanagan College. “He always had his eye on emerging talent in the business, and vigorously mentored young people, through his roles as founder of the BC Wine Institute and his many ongoing industry affiliations.” McWatters taught at the college and was bestowed an honorary doctorate for his vast contributions in the B.C. wine community. WcWatters’ wife Lisa Lalonde and his family will also be contributing to the scholarship. “Harry collected experiences. He loved nothing more than planning trips based on where we would dine, what we would drink and who we would visit. We think Harry would love the creative use of these funds, and our family is pleased to add to the initial contribution in the amount of $1,000 per annum,” said Lalonde. READ MORE: Oliver to be future home of Canada’s first District Wine Village To report a typo, email: editor@pentictonwesternnews.com. wine

For Immediate Release March 10, 2020 – Hamilton, ON – Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) Each year, the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) sponsors the Focus on Safety Youth Video Contest, inviting youth across Canada to submit an original video that can be used in social media and beyond to illustrate the importance of being safe on the job. The 2020 Focus on Safety Youth Video Contest offers three ways to win to allow full participation across Canada: Provincial Contest Each participating province and territory will hold its own contest, co-sponsored by CCOHS, with specific eligibility criteria, deadlines, and requirements. Links to each of these contests can be found on the CCOHS Young Workers Zone website. The first-place winners of these contests will be entered into the national contest. Regional Qualifier Contest This new contest is open to youth ages 13-19 who reside in provinces that are not running youth video contests (a complete listing can be found on the Young Workers Zone website). The winning individual or team will receive $1,000 and the winning video will be entered into the national Focus on Safety Youth Video Contest. Video submissions for this category must be received by 4:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday, March 19, 2020. Full contest details are available on the CCOHS website. National Contest The winners of the regional, provincial and territorial contests move onto the national stage. The first-place video at the Canadian finals will win $2,000, second place will receive $1,500, and third place will receive $1,000. Each winning school or institution will also receive a matching prize. Winners of the national contest will be announced during Safety and Health Week in May 2020. More information about the Focus on Safety Youth Video Contest can be found on the Young Workers Zone website.

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CPI General Secretary D Raja. (File Photo) CPI General Secretary D Raja. (File Photo) CPI general secretary D Raja speaks to Manoj C G on the Delhi government’s decision to sanction Kanhaiya Kumar’s prosecution Were you surprised by the Arvind Kejriwal government’s decision to give prosecution sanction to Delhi Police in the sedition case against CPI national executive member and former JNU students’ union president Kanhaiya Kumar and nine others? The way Arvind Kejriwal is presenting his politics is surprising. Kejriwal had said in 2016 that these videos are all doctored. Suddenly, how he relied upon the evidence? What is this change of mind and change of politics? More than surprising, it raises questions about Kejriwal. We are confident that Kanhaiya Kumar will come out unscathed as the charges are false and politically motivated. It is unfortunate that the Kejriwal government has succumbed to political pressure and granted permission to prosecute Kanhaiya. Read | Kanhaiya Kumar calls for speedy trial after Delhi govt’s nod for prosecution How will this move impact Opposition unity. The AAP, for instance, was a signatory to the letter CPI(M), CPI and some Opposition parties wrote to the President on Friday over the situation in Delhi? It seems Aam Aadmi Party is not united. That is what I understand. A case has been registered against their own man (councillor Tahir Hussain). I think there are differences in the AAP. The AAP had maintained silence on the anti-CAA protests during the Assembly election. Now its government has given the go-ahead. How do you see it? Exactly. It raises several questions. This political eclecticism — on one side Bharat Mata Ki Jai and Vande Mataram and on the other, Inquilab Zindabad — will not survive. Temporarily, Kejriwal may think it gives him advantage but it would not last. The chief minister, as I said, has in the beginning said that there is no case of sedition against Kanhaiya and the videos were doctored. We are yet to ascertain why this sudden change of heart has happened. The Delhi government’s standing counsel had advised against giving police the go-ahead just seven months ago? That is what we have come to know. We are seeking that report also. We will release it to the media to prove our claim. Moreover, sedition (Act) is a colonial law. In 2011, when I was in Parliament, I had moved a private member’s Bill, seeking deletion of the sedition law from our statute. How do you plan to fight the case? We will fight, legally and politically. We don’t have a problem. Communists cannot be intimidated like this. We fought against the British. We were the first party to face conspiracy and sedition cases under British rule. Even when my party was founded in 1925… Kanpur conspiracy case was put… many leaders could not reach Kanpur for attending the first Congress… but our party was founded. And our party was at the forefront of the freedom movement. There was the Meerut conspiracy case… the Madurai conspiracy case… the Tirunelveli conspiracy case… Communist party faced many conspiracy and sedition cases during the British rule….we could fight the British raj, now we will fight the BJP raj. 📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App.

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram (L) and Kanhaiya Kumar. (File) Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram (L) and Kanhaiya Kumar. (File) Senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram Saturday criticised the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government for giving the go-ahead to prosecute former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar and nine others in the 2016 JNU sedition case. He said he “strongly disapproved” the decision. “Delhi government is no less ill-informed than the central government in its understanding of sedition law. I strongly disapprove of the sanction granted to prosecute Mr Kanhaiya Kumar and others for alleged offences under sections 124A and 120B of IPC,” Chidambaram tweeted. On Friday, seven months after its standing counsel advised against prosecution sanction to Delhi Police in the case, the AAP government gave the nod to Delhi Police to Prosecute Kumar. Delhi Government is no less ill-informed than the central government in its understanding of sedition law. I strongly disapprove of the sanction granted to prosecute Mr Kanhaiya Kumar and others for alleged offences under sections 124A and 120B of IPC. — P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) February 29, 2020 In its chargesheet, the police has claimed that Kumar led a procession and supported — along with others named as accused — seditious slogans raised on the JNU campus on February 9, 2016 during an event to mark the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. Reacting to the move, Kanhaiya Kumar urged government officials and the police to ensure a speedy trial in a fast track court. “There is a need for fast track courts and speedy action in the sedition so that the country can know how the sedition law has been misused in this entire case for political gains and to divert people from their basic issues,” he said in a tweet. The wait for prosecution sanction had been a constant irritant in the already strained ties between the AAP government in Delhi and the Centre. Police claimed the trial was stalled for want of sanction and several BJP leaders accused AAP of shielding the students by not giving the go-ahead. 📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App. © IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd

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In Michigan, New York, and Ohio, churches are exempt from bans on large gatherings at this time due to the coronavirus. Indiana, Louisiana, and Virginia have decided to extend the ban to churches. This is definitely a state issue: the Trump administration has wisely stayed out of it. At the state level, this is a difficult issue. Our first impulse is to defend religious liberty, but like any freedom, it is not absolute. For example, in New York, it was reasonably decided, after much discussion, not to exempt religious bodies from mandated vaccinations. Whenever religious liberty collides with public health, the government is obliged to put the least restrictive measures on religion. If that is done, and the motive is purely to protect the public, then in a crisis situation, temporary bans may be legitimate. Motive counts. Why? Because we must always consider the source of an objection to religious exemptions. If the source is the medical community, and reasonable temporary restrictions are called for in a crisis situation, that is one thing; if the source is a hostile force, that is another. Unfortunately, there are plenty of examples of the latter. Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Center for Inquiry have all issued statements against allowing religious exemptions for bans on large gatherings at this time. Their motives are not benign. For example, FFRF opposes the decision by the West Virginia Governor to designate a "day for prayer" at this time of crisis. Americans United opposes a similar measure in Pennsylvania. The Center for Inquiry, an atheist organization, has not weighed in on this issue, but it is so extreme that it forced its founder, Paul Kurtz, off its board of directors because he was deemed too moderate. We also have the likes of the religion haters at American Atheists blasting Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., for seeking to allow financial assistance to churches so they can meet payroll and rent bills. But why not? If the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is considered worthy of stimulus funds, why should monies be denied churches to pay their bills (the funds are not for proselytizing campaigns)? American Atheists surely had no problem supporting efforts to provide funding to Planned Parenthood. The best way to proceed with this issue is for religious leaders to work with state officials in coming up with a compromise during these difficult times. What we don’t need is the advice of those who are anything but religion-friendly. Dr. William Donohue is the president and CEO of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights. The publisher of the Catholic League journal, Catalyst, Donohue is a former Bradley Resident Scholar at the Heritage Foundation and served for two decades on the board of directors of the National Association of Scholars. He is the author of eight books, and the winner of several teaching awards and many awards from the Catholic community. Read more of his reports — Click Here Now.

Should abortions be considered elective surgery and therefore not be permitted during the coronavirus pandemic, or are they an essential healthcare issue that should be permitted? Predictably, in anti-abortion states like Ohio and Texas officials are saying abortions constitute elective surgery and should therefore not be allowed, while in abortion rights states like Massachusetts and Washington, officials are defending them. This issue has even split those in the medical community working in the same facility. Nearly 300 doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center recently sent a letter to management asking them to "postpone procedures that can be performed in the future" so that they can accommodate the expected surge in patients due to the coronavirus. The central issue in this case transcends the usual abortion debate: any elective surgery that is being performed during this crisis uses resources that are needed to help those who are hospitalized with the coronavirus. Chethan Sathya is a pediatric surgeon and journalist in New York City. Here is his analysis of what is at stake. "Surgeries are resource-intensive — requiring surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, transport teams, medical beds and equipment such as ventilators. Suspending elective surgeries will free up those doctors, other medical personnel, and rooms and equipment." Dr. Sathya is also concerned about the effect that doing elective surgeries is bound to have on medical staff. "Because of the number of healthcare workers required to work close to one another for each surgery," he writes, "I have no doubt that continuing to perform non-urgent surgeries would lead to further spread of the virus among healthcare workers." In other words, those who are pushing for abortions during the coronavirus are endangering the lives of healthcare workers. But do they care? Here is how Planned Parenthood has responded. "We're closely monitoring the spread of the new cononavirus, or COVID-19. The health and safety of our patients, staff, and communities is our top priority." Notice that Planned Parenthood is only interested in its own agenda. It says not a word about tying up resources needed by those who are truly sick. By taking away needed personnel, gear, and equipment from servicing those who are infected with the coronavirus, it is jeopardizing the lives of those at risk. The heart of this dispute rests on the question of whether abortion is elective surgery or not. Planned Parenthood, NARAL, and others in the abortion industry argue that abortion is not elective surgery and must be provided at all times. But is it? Take two women, Joy and Jane. Joy has a life-threatening heart problem and is scheduled for surgery. Jane wants an abortion. No one in his right mind would equate the two. If Joy doesn’t get heart surgery, she will probably die. If Jane is denied her abortion, she lives (as does her baby). It comes down to this: Joy has a need; Jane has a want. No woman wants to have heart surgery — they either need it or they don't. Conversely, no woman needs an abortion — it is, as they like to say, a matter of choice. Does that mean that abortion is like any other elective surgery, such as a facelift (rhytidectomy) or a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty)? No. In those cases, only the person's face or tummy is affected. In the case of an abortion, another person is affected. And there is nothing elective about that person's fate. Dr. William Donohue is the president and CEO of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights. The publisher of the Catholic League journal, Catalyst, Donohue is a former Bradley Resident Scholar at the Heritage Foundation and served for two decades on the board of directors of the National Association of Scholars. He is the author of eight books, and the winner of several teaching awards and many awards from the Catholic community. Read more of his reports — Click Here Now.

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Brain-Cell Helpers Powered by Norepinephrine During Fear-Memory Formation A sustained state of vigilance will generate a different type of memory than a momentary startle, and these differences are linked to distinct signaling molecules in the brains of mice. Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Brain Science (CBS) have visualized these dynamics in the living mouse brain for the first time, observing fast and slow molecular pathways that support memory function. These processes take place in brain cells called astrocytes, revealing another important way in which these cells help neurons. Norepinephrine, also called noradrenaline, is a dual hormone and neurotransmitter that prepares the body for action. Previous research has shown that norepinephrine release is important for modifying synapses, the connections between neurons that form and consolidate memories. Astrocytes are the crucial mediators of these changes, and the researchers were interested in observing, in real time, what happens in these cells when mice are learning. Their study was published in Nature Communications on January 24, 2020. First, the team artificially stimulated brain cells with light, a method called optogenetics, to induce norepinephrine release. They focused on noradrenergic neurons originating in a part of the brain called the locus coeruleus. Norepinephrine release launched two distinct chains of molecular events, the first involving calcium activity and the second cAMP, an important signaling molecule. Calcium levels in astrocytes were quick to become elevated following norepinephrine release, while cAMP levels had a slower but more sustained increase. “We think these fast and slow dynamics are significant because calcium elevation in astrocytes promotes synaptic plasticity, or the ability of cells to form new memory connections, while cAMP elevation mobilizes energy metabolism for memory consolidation,” said Hajime Hirase, senior author and team leader at RIKEN CBS. To see how these fast and slow molecular responses are triggered naturally, mice were given random air puffs to the face to evoke a brief startle response. In this situation, cAMP levels did not go up at all, while calcium became elevated as previously observed. In a second experiment, mice were given a foot shock coupled with a sound to create a fear memory. When they heard the sound again, the mice would freeze in anticipation of a shock. This time, cAMP levels were noticeably elevated, while calcium levels also rose but quickly tapered off. “When mice are in this sustained state of vigilance, a lot of norepinephrine is released, coupled with gradually building cAMP,” explains first author Yuki Oe, a research scientist in Hirase’s group. “This reflects how the astrocytes support the formation of fear memory.” Neither calcium nor cAMP responses were seen in mice that were given norepinephrine-blocking drugs, indicating that norepinephrine release is indeed the trigger for these changes. The short-term and long-term consequences of norepinephrine release in the brain thus depend on the situation and behavior. Memory formation, in particular, seems to be supported by increases in cAMP levels, while transient or low vigilance states involve short-term elevated calcium. “One of the effects of cAMP is to break down glycogen for quick energy in a fight-or-flight situation,” comments Hirase. “This boosting of energy metabolism could help consolidate memories over longer time scales, while rapid calcium boosts could lower the threshold for synaptic plasticity.” Reference: “Distinct temporal integration of noradrenaline signaling by astrocytic second messengers during vigilance” by Yuki Oe, Xiaowen Wang, Tommaso Patriarchi, Ayumu Konno, Katsuya Ozawa, Kazuko Yahagi, Hirokazu Hirai, Lin Tian, Thomas J. McHugh and Hajime Hirase, 24 January 2020, Nature Communications. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14378-x

Getty In this age of reliance on impersonal devices, such as computers and the like, I submit that it is ever more important to make sure that what personal interaction is left is as effective, fruitful and rewarding as possible. If the number of your human-to-human interactions is to be reduced, then let's make sure you get as much out of each one as you can. In the business world, with its time pressures, competitions and an ever-changing cast of people with whom you need to interact, human-to-human contacts are indeed precious. Each of our business interactions need to be conducted free of misunderstanding and with as much read of your interlocutor as you can muster. One of the ways you can accomplish this is by increasing your emotional intelligence, the higher level of which can be called "emotional wisdom." Is there a difference between "emotional intelligence" and "emotional wisdom," you might ask? I believe the difference is a matter of depth. Just as "wisdom" implies intelligence tempered by experience (rare is the individual who is born with it), so it is with "emotional wisdom." Achieving Emotional Wisdom Increasing emotional wisdom takes place in two different stages: The first is understanding, and the second is adjusting. • Understanding in this context means we understand and have integrated the fact that emotional wisdom is based on recognizing each of our emotions. We must not only understand that our emotions exist but also make that fact an integral part of our way of thinking. • Adjusting means we logically and properly adjust our behavior based on a proper read of our emotions. For example, if we see that a particular approach is not working with a colleague, the emotionally wise person doesn't continue trying the same failed inducements. Instead, they adjust and come up with a different and more effective way of addressing the matter. The end result of going through these stages and the resulting "emotional wisdom" is, among other things, an improvement in decision-making effectiveness, as well as better human relations in general. The leader possessing emotional wisdom is the leader who not only possesses emotional intelligence but also has the experience, seasoning and ability to reflect. These are the hallmarks of the introspective individual. It is this type of leader who inspires others to follow and produce the best of which they are capable. However, before attempting to implement these two stages, it would be helpful for you to be aware of the deep internal connection between your brain and your body, which makes it all possible. This means you also need to understand the difference between feelings and emotions. Feelings Versus Emotions While the brain, where emotions are produced, is, of course, located inside the skull, the feelings resulting from those emotions have their loci in several places in the body. Communication between the brain and those loci is carried out by the vagus nerve. It is this connection between the brain (emotions) and the body (feelings) that allows you to feel frustrated, scared, abandoned or loved in different parts of our body, all of which has been confirmed by the National Academy of Sciences. Also, because different emotions have different intensities, the feelings resulting from those emotions also have different intensities. Researchers have developed an atlas of the human body to show where different emotions are felt. The way it works is that outside stimuli (i.e., something you see, hear, taste, etc.) cause a response in the amygdala, a set of neurons in your brain that helps you process emotions, survival instincts, memories and motivations. The amygdala produces hormones that helps you react to the stimuli appropriately. Although you're usually aware of the stimuli, the remainder of the process is automatic, and you can't control or manage it. What you can control or manage are the feelings you become aware of after the hormones have done their work. However, in order to effectively deal with these feelings, you must understand and label which feelings you are experiencing and trace them back to their causes. Think of your feelings as symptoms: Like a cold, simply treating the symptoms does nothing for the root cause; you have to treat the source. Here's How You Do It First, put a label on the event that you believe caused the emotion. Then, describe how it made you feel. Sometimes, determining the cause won't be this simple, but if you ruminate on it, I have found that you're very likely to identify it. Once you have done so, you can move on to the following steps: 1. Think about whether the emotion you're experiencing is warranted. If you're feeling angry because you were fired, for example, most likely that emotion is fully warranted. On the other hand, if you just heard a rumor about someone you hardly know, you shouldn't be grieving about it. 2. If you determine that the emotion is warranted, then you can move on to the remedial process, which basically means being proactive in addressing the stimuli that caused the emotion. If we continue with our previous example of feeling upset because you were fired, you might choose to improve yourself in the areas that resulted in you losing your job or even seek comfort from a loved one. But I know this is not always easy to do at first. Even identifying why you feel bad can be challenging. However, if you take your time and process how you're feeling — instead of letting yourself dwell on the initial meaning you gave to the event — you can make the best that can be made out of perhaps a bad situation. Also, you will be creating a new paradigm by which you can learn from negative emotions and advance to other, more productive and healthy uses for your time and energy. Your leadership skills, interpersonal relations and decision-making abilities will all benefit, thus making you emotionally wiser.

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AS THE invaders circled a small village, residents who had not been killed in the fighting fled to the nearby church. With resistance crushed, the landing party blocked the exit and burned the building with the villagers inside. This was not a Nazi massacre in the Second World War – this was Rottingdean, a tiny parish chewed and spat out in the fierce 14th century fighting of the Hundred Years’ War. Sussex suffered greatly as five generations of English and French kings traded blows for 116 years in a bitter struggle for each other’s crown. But the slaughter in Rottingdean was hardly the first instance of foreign invasion in the county, as Duncan Cameron’s book Invasion describes. Even in 1336, a year before war was declared, English King Edward III had Sussex on lockdown. Fearing an attack by King Philip VI’s French forces, Edward demanded all landowners stump up men and ships for the cause. Lookouts were posted across the coast, ready to light beacons as soon as they saw the enemy. Three years later, the invasion came. As part of a major French invasion, mercenaries from Monaco landed on the beaches of decaying Hastings. Led by soldier Carlos Grimaldi, the landing party terrorised the townspeople, hanging those who could not flee. After looting the town and destroying its three churches, the Monegasque raiders loaded their ships with one last item: the bodies of those they had executed, which they displayed upon return to Calais. But despite the massacre in Hastings, French forces failed to penetrate English defences elsewhere. The pre-war lull resumed, but only for a month before the invaders had their sights again set on Sussex. Nowadays, grassland separates the small rural towns of Rye and Winchelsea. But in the 14th century both settlements were thriving fishing ports on the now non-existent Rye Bay. Winchelsea in particular was an up-and-coming town, almost as big as London and laid out very similarly. The next few decades were not kind to either place. A French invasion in 1339 damaged the towns, but the soldiers were chased away before they could get to burning. Eleven years later, the bay was the site of a major naval battle between English and Spanish ships. As Spain was patrolling the Channel for its French allies, King Edward decided to set up an ambush. Staying in Winchelsea with his family, he gathered 4,000 knights and waited for the Spaniards to arrive. He was in good spirits, mind. His historian Jean Froissart said the king was “in a gayer mood than he had ever been seen before”. When 40 Spanish ships were spotted, Edward took his sons Edward and John on to his ship and set sail. Surprising his soldiers, he pointed to a Spanish ship and barked: “Steer this ship to that Spanish one. I want to joust with it.” The Spaniards fired arrows and stones at the English, but Edward’s sailors used their grappling irons to pull in the enemy ships and board them. The result? Twenty four Spanish boats captured. But in 1360, Winchelsea’s darkest hour came. French deputy marshal Jean de Neuville planned a daring raid of the town, massacring its people and taking their barrels of Gascon wine. Next morning the raiders set fire to the town, putting an end to Winchelsea’s big city hopes. This put Rye on high alert. For the next two decades, the taxes were raised to build defences while English sailors stayed in the area – not necessarily a welcome thing for the paranoid townsfolk. They had reason to be worried. In 1377, French admiral Jean de Vienne set sail for Rye on the advice of his aide Rainier de Grimaldi. “It is from there that the hardy seamen come who have outraged our coasts on so many occasion,” Grimaldi had said. “The people of that town do not believe that we could descend on them.” Two decades had not been enough to prepare for the French invaders who quickly ransacked Rye, even taking the church’s bronze bells. Word soon reached the influential Hamo of Offynton in Battle, who led his men through the Weald and set up camp in the ruins of Winchelsea. Fearing a bloody battle, de Vienne first tried to negotiate with Hamo, then attempted to fight his forces. Both gambles failed, so the French sailed further west. Swanning past Beachy Head, de Vienne decided to land at Rottingdean and make his way to poorly defended but rich Lewes. As royal historian Jean Froissart described it: “As they entered Lewes there was a great deal of fighting and many French were wounded by the arrows. “Finally the French conquered the town and dislodged the English. The whole town of Lewes was ransacked and burnt or destroyed.” Ovingdean Church, Seaford, and even the tiny parish of Exceat were all burnt to the ground before the French made their merry way home. Though the destruction the Hundred Years’ War caused to Sussex may not seem obvious today, in many ways it was significant in shaping it.

First are the vowels, which, with one exception, come in pairs: First are the vowels, which, with one exception, come in pairs: [ https://www.marathigrammar.com/marathi-alphabets/ Marathi Alphabets] in Marathi Langauge have One Update In. Now Marathi Vowels Is 14 So Now Marathi Barakhadi Called As Marathi Chaudakhadi you can go to this link and see actual change that happens <a href=" https://www.marathigrammar.com/marathi-alphabets/ ">marathi-alphabets</a> in Marathi Langauge have One Update In. Now Marathi Vowels Is 14 So Now Marathi Barakhadi Called As Marathi Chaudakhadi Marathi is written in the Devanagari script. It consists of 11 vowels, 40 consonants, and 2 sound modifiers. The Devanagari syllabary is organised according to the way sounds are produced using the voice box and the mouth. Vowels Marathi Alphabets in Marathi Langauge have One Update In. Now Marathi Vowels Is 14 So Now Marathi Barakhadi Called As Marathi Chaudakhadi you can go to this link and see actual change that happens First are the vowels, which, with one exception, come in pairs: अ आ इ ई उ ऊ ऋ ए ऐ ओ औ अं अ: Using the International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST), these vowels would be represented thus: a ā i ī u ū ṛ e ai o au an aha अ ( a ) is pronounced as a default vowel, similar to a schwa. ( ) is pronounced as a default vowel, similar to a schwa. आ ( ā ) is like the vowel a in father . Note that this must NOT be confused with a similar o-like sound, and can be represented by the sound children, and even adults, make when a GP tells them to say "Aah." In a RP accent, this can also be said like the "ar" in farther . ( ) is like the vowel a in . Note that this must NOT be confused with a similar o-like sound, and can be represented by the sound children, and even adults, make when a GP tells them to say "Aah." In a RP accent, this can also be said like the "ar" in . इ ( i ) is like the vowel in tin . ( ) is like the vowel in . ई ( ī ) is like the vowel in see . ( ) is like the vowel in . ऋ ( rū ) is like the vowel in ruby . ( ) is like the vowel in . उ ( u ) is like the vowel in book . ( ) is like the vowel in . ऊ ( ū ) is like the vowel in tool . ( ) is like the vowel in . ए ( e ) is like the vowel in May except there is no diphthong. ( ) is like the vowel in except there is no diphthong. ऐ ( ai ) is one of the only two diphthong vowels in Marathi, and pronounced differently depending on regional accent. Often it is pronounced like the vowel in buy . ( ) is one of the only two diphthong vowels in Marathi, and pronounced differently depending on regional accent. Often it is pronounced like the vowel in . ओ ( o ) is like the vowel in hole . ( ) is like the vowel in . औ ( au ) is the other diphthong vowel, also with varying pronunciation. It is often pronounced like the vowel in autum . ( ) is the other diphthong vowel, also with varying pronunciation. It is often pronounced like the vowel in . अं ( an ) is like the vowel in uncle . ( ) is like the vowel in . अं: (aha) is like the vowel in no similar use in English. All vowels in Marathi have two forms: Their standalone form and their mātrā form. The mātrā form modifies consonants. Here are the eleven vowels paired with the syllable क (k): क का कि की कु कू कृ के कै को कौ ka kā ki kī ku kū kṛ ke kai ko kau Note that there is no mātrā form for the first vowel, अ --a. This is because all Marathi consonants, unless part of a conjunct (see below), or they appear at the end of a word, automatically contain this vowel. So, the letter क is pronounced ka. Regular Consonants There are 25 regular consonants (consonants that stop air from moving out of the mouth) in Marathi, and they are organized into groups (vargas) of five. The vargas are ordered according to where the tongue is in the mouth. Each successive varga refers to a successively forward position of the tongue. The vargas are ordered and named thus (with an example of a corresponding consonant): Velar (k) Palatal (j) Retroflex (English t) Dental (Spanish t) Labial (p) The five consonants in each group are ordered thus: unaspirated, unvoiced aspirated, unvoiced unaspirated, voiced aspirated, voiced nasal The difference between voiced and unvoiced consonants is as simple for an English speaker to understand as understanding the difference between the consonants "k" and "g" or "j" and "ch." However, aspiration is a distinction foreign to most English speakers. To understand the difference, do this simple exercise: Hold your palm about an inch in front of your mouth. Say the word "pit." Notice that your hand will likely feel a short burst of air coming from your mouth. Now say the word "spit" and notice that there is little or no burst of air. Now attempt to say "pit" again, this time without letting the burst of air happen. Here are the five vargas of regular consonants, followed by their corresponding IAST characters: क ख ग घ ङ च छ ज झ ञ ट ठ ड ढ ण त थ द ध न प फ ब भ म k kh g gh ṅ c ch j jh ñ ṭ ṭh ḍ ḍh ṇ t th d dh n p ph b bh m Notes: The nasal consonants in the first two vargas are almost never found written alone; they are usually conjuncted (more on conjuncts later) with another consonant in their corresponding vargas, as the other nasal consonants often are. The consonants in the first two vargas, as well as the last, are pronounced exactly as they are in English. In other words, a Marathi k sounds like an English "k" (without aspiration). The consonant written 'c' can be confusing; it is pronounced like the first sound in the word chair but without aspiration. The consonant ch is virtually indistinguishable from c to the untrained English speaker, but is indeed a different letter. The English consonants "t" and "d" fall somewhere in between the Marathi consonants t and d, and ṭ and ḍ. They are closer to the latter (retroflex), so when Marathi speakers say or speak English words containing t or d, they almost always use the retroflex version. To achieve these sounds, curl the tongue back and touch the tip to the roof of the mouth. The dental consonants are pronounced exactly like the "t" and "d" in Spanish, with the tongue touching the back of the upper teeth. Voiced, aspirated consonants (gh, bh, etc.) are by far the hardest sounds for the English speaker to learn how to make; however, with some practice they are not overly difficult. Semivowels There are four semivowels in Marathi: य र ल व y r l w (v) y is very similar to its corresponding English sound. is very similar to its corresponding English sound. r, like most non-English "r" sounds, is flipped, but not rolled. like most non-English "r" sounds, is flipped, but not rolled. l is the same as the English "l". is the same as the English "l". w (v) has a somewhat flexible pronunciation, depending on context and regional dialects. Sometimes it is pronounced like the English "w" (as in the word swami), and other times it is closer to the English "v". It is often pronounced somewhere in between the two sounds. Sibilants There are three sibilants: श ष स ś ṣ s ś is the same as "sh" in English. is the same as "sh" in English. ṣ is also similar to "sh" in English, and though it is technically pronounced farther back in the mouth, functionally there is very little or no difference between the two in spoken Marathi. is also similar to "sh" in English, and though it is technically pronounced farther back in the mouth, functionally there is very little or no difference between the two in spoken Marathi. s is the same as "s" in English. Fricative There is one fricative consonant: ह h h is pronounced the same as "h" in English. Additional Consonants There are three additional consonants: ळ क्ष ज्ञ La kSha dnya Modified Consonants Most of the sounds mentioned in this section do not belong to Marathi. This section needs to be revised. There are many sounds found in Marathi that do not directly correspond to any Devanagari letter: क़ (q) is pronounced farther back in the throat than क. For example, the Arabic word Qu'ran begins with this letter. ग़ (ġ) is pronounced in the back of the throat, similar to the French "r." ख़ ( kh ) is pronounced like "ch" in German words like Bach or Reich. ज़ (z) is the same as the English "z." ड़ (ṛ) is difficult to describe, except by example. The Marathi word गाड़ी (gaṛī) sounds very much like "gardee." Notice that the character used to denote this character is the same as denotes ऋ . The only way to tell the difference is context; if ṛ is followed by a consonant, it corresponds to ऋ (example: ऋषि -- ṛṣi or "Rushi"). If it is followed by a vowel or falls at the end of a word, is is most likely ड़ . ढ़ (ṛh) is the aspirated version of ड़ . फ़ is the same as the English sound "f." Sound Modifiers The anusvara is notated with a small dot above the corresponding letter. In IAST, it is notated ṃ. It can have two different effects: In mid-word, when it appears before a consonant, it has the same effect as if that consonant's corresponding nasal consonant were placed right before it. For example, if placed before the "k" sound in the English word "buck," it would make the word change to "bunk." Marathi example: Placed at the end of a word (after a vowel with no further consonants), it simply nasalizes the vowel, often sounding as if the English "ng" (as in "song") had been placed at the end of the word, though lightly. Marathi examples: The ardhacandra (meaning "half moon") is notated with a small crescent (see below). The sound is similar to "ae", as in "cat", "bat", "rat". The candrabindu (meaning "moon dot") is very similar to the anusvara and is notated with a dot and a small crescent (see below). When placed above a vowel, the vowel becomes nasalized. Marathi example: The visarga is notated with what looks like an English colon. It is transliterated with ḥ. It is only found at the end of words, and only found on Sanskrit loan words. It has the effect of adding a h as well as a lighter version of the preceding vowel. For example, नमः is pronounced namaha, with the last a having as little emphasis as possible. The halant is a small diagonal line which indicates that the default vowel अ -- a is not to be pronounced. It only appears at the end of words. In Marathi, however, this symbol is almost never seen, as, unlike Sanskrit, the default vowel is almost never pronounced on the final consonants of words. Example: नाम् -- nām (name). Conjuncts Very often, two or more consonants are combined. If you see conjuncts, they will conjoin two consonants in an obvious manner. The visarga may be used in the middle of a word as a conjunct if an obvious conjunct is not possible. Reference Complete List of Standardised Marathi Alphabets

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On March 11 at 9 p.m., I went for a walk. When I came back an hour later and read an email sent by the University stating that campus would close for the remainder of the Spring semester, I felt as though the trajectory of my college experience had irrevocably and fundamentally changed. As I ran through the gamut of emotions with my peers, I felt anger, grief and a bitter sense of dark humor. But going to bed that night, I realized that where our generation had lost normalcy we had also gained passion. COVID-19 has awoken our generation to the consequences of inaction in the face of global crises and rightly reified the impact of societal upheaval. Despite the gravity of my and all Emory students’ losses, we should take solace in the fact that this disruption will be temporary. The symptoms caused by COVID-19 are similar to a stronger strain of the flu, this epidemic is not the apocalypse; classes will resume when this passes and life will return to normal. But enveloped in that normalcy will still remain the existential crises we’ve put on hold to fight this pandemic, like climate change, resource shortages, antibiotic-resistant bacteria and mounting international instability. I am not minimizing the devastation on our lives that COVID-19 has and will cause; in fact, it is this devastation that should serve as a warning to prevent even greater harm as our generations’ crises germinate. The proportional danger of these future catastrophes outweighs the long-term impact of COVID-19, and so it would be a waste of a learning opportunity if the current societal upheaval did not scare us into action to prevent much greater future calamity. Both those returning to campus next semester and graduating seniors entering the workforce should feel inspired to gather their strength and collectively work with intensity. We face a myriad of immediate crises such as those listed above, as well as larger generational issues, including violence, societal upheaval and environmental collapse. The impact from COVID-19, which is projected to kill almost 3 million, pales in comparison to that which antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as tuberculosis may soon have. Some experts believe these superbugs could kill 300 million people worldwide by 2050, for an average of 10 million a year. While we need to deal with the crises of today before the problems of tomorrow, COVID-19 is only a small taste of the deluge that our generation will face. It’s easy to pontificate about solutions — so what comes next? We deserve time to mourn; a semester of arrested development is painful and will regress our growth. But we cannot afford to wallow in the pain. These will prove to be the most formative years of our lives, as we’re now building the experience, the knowledge and the work ethic to prepare for the problems we will face. That means we have to take charge of our lives and improve our collective interest. We must vote and become politically involved, challenge ourselves intellectually, and be ready for any threat we may face. These ideas are only platitudes if we treat them as such through inaction and failure to integrate them into in work daily work ethic. We won’t be able to deal with the future’s global catastrophes if we don’t start by making small, actionable changes today. Before we change society, we need to start with what we can most affect: ourselves. It’s easy to talk about what should be done to prepare for these long-term crises — words are cheap, but actions are not. We have an opportunity to take action. We are in an election year, and class registration is several weeks away, so I challenge you: take the 8 a.m., speak up in class and enroll in a difficult course. Personally, I was going to take 15 credits, but now I’m taking 19. If we do not build long-term personal habits from COVID-19 today — challenging ourselves to discover solutions and grow, set tough but realistic goals, and stare into uncertainty and thrive in it — we will have no one but ourselves to blame when the world’s floodgates open on our heads. Emory, we deserve a moment of pain. But then let’s put on our boots, saddle up and get to work. The world won’t wait for us. Sean Anderson (19Ox, 21B) is from Atlanta.

KUALA LIPIS: Two sisters are feared drowned after they were swept away by strong currents while playing in Sungai Jelai at Kampung Tanjung Gahai, near here, today. Siti Nur Hidayah Mohd Rosli, 19, and Siti Suhaida, 15, were playing with their three other siblings at the river at about 6pm today, when they went missing. District police chief Superintendent Azli Mohd Noor said villagers alerted the Sungai Koyan police station before a search and rescue (SAR) operation was launched to locate the girls. He said investigations revealed the two, along with their siblings had gone to the river near the Kampung Tanjung Gahai recreational park. "They were playing at the shallow section of the river before moving towards the middle. Suddenly, they were swept away by strong currents and disappeared. "The others immediately alerted some villagers who tried searching for the duo, before informing the police," he said, adding the two victims were from the Gahai Agropolitan Housing project nearby. Azli said policemen, firemen, Civil Defence Force members along with 20 villagers were involved in the SAR operations. He said since the area was getting dark, SAR operations was halted at 7pm and would resume tomorrow morning.

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Entertainment Batman’s about to get fast and furious. Matt Reeves, the director of the upcoming film “The Batman,” has shared the first look at the hero’s new wheels. In the images, released Wednesday, Robert Pattinson can be seen donning his suit while standing alongside a new version of the Batmobile that it is a departure from what we’ve seen in recent films. This one resembles a classic car, with some features that give it that beloved Batman look. Is this Batman’s quarter life crisis car? Did he rebuild it with a father-figure uncle? Did he think this one would look better on his Tinder profile? All important and nonsensical questions. “The Batman” is set for release in 2021. (Warner Bros. Pictures, the studio behind the film, is, like CNN, owned by WarnerMedia.) Pattinson takes over the role of Batman from Ben Affleck, who first played the masked hero in 2016’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.”

"Twilight" star Robert Pattinson is being seen for the first time in costume as the Caped Crusader ahead of the 2021 release of "The Batman."

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The UK government has reiterated its concern over the potential impact of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and said it is continuing to follow the events in India closely. (Representational Image) The UK government has reiterated its concern over the potential impact of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and said it is continuing to follow the events in India closely. (Representational Image) The UK government has reiterated its concern over the potential impact of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and said it is continuing to follow the events in India closely. In response to an urgent question on “Recent Violence in India” tabled by Pakistani-origin Opposition Labour Party MP Khalid Mahmood in the House of Commons on Tuesday, UK’s Minister of State in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Nigel Adams said the UK engages with India at all levels, including on human rights, and also referred to the country’s “proud history” of inclusive government and religious tolerance. “The UK government also have concerns about the potential impact of the legislation (CAA),” said Adams, the Minister for Asia who was standing in for UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is on a visit to Turkey. “It is because of our close relationship with the government of India that we are able to discuss difficult issues with them and make clear our concerns where we have them, including on the rights of minorities. We will continue to follow events closely and to raise our concerns when we have with them,” said the minister. While Mahmood, who had tabled the urgent question for an FCO statement, described the government response as “facile”, another Pakistani-origin MP Nusrat Ghani called on the government to relay the UK Parliament’s concerns to the Indian authorities. British Sikh Labour MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi said the violence had brought back “painful personal memories” from the 1984 Sikh riots while he was studying in India and fellow Sikh MP Preet Kaur Gill also referenced 1984 in her intervention. Other MPs sought to highlight the steps taken by the Indian authorities to restore “peace and tranquillity” in Delhi. “He will be aware that it is not just Muslims who have been killed; Hindus have also been killed as part of the riots,” said Conservative Party MP Bob Blackman. Scottish National Party (SNP) MP Alyn Smith sought the UK government’s intervention to share best practice around countering the online disinformation campaign being used in India to “inflame tensions”. “We are in constant contact on these issues, and we know how important this is to Members of Parliament and their constituents, who may have family in the area,” said Adams, in his response. 📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App.

Last week, the Turkish president had severely criticised India for the communal clashes in Delhi and even went on to call them “massacres of Muslims”. (REUTERS) Last week, the Turkish president had severely criticised India for the communal clashes in Delhi and even went on to call them “massacres of Muslims”. (REUTERS) Days after Turkish president criticised Delhi riots, India Thursday hit out at Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying his comments were “factually inaccurate” and driven by “political agenda”. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar, while addressing a press conference in the national capital Thursday, said India had made a strong demarche on the matter with the Turkish Ambassador in Delhi on Tuesday. “We do not expect such irresponsible statements from a Head of State,” Kumar was quoted as saying by PTI. Last week, the Turkish president had severely criticised India for the communal clashes in Delhi and even went on to call them “massacres of Muslims”. On being asked UK’s junior foreign minister Nigel Adams’ comment on Delhi violence, Raveesh Kumar said the situation in the capital is fast returning to normal and that law enforcement agencies are doing their best to restore confidence and ensure that law and order is maintained. “Prime Minister has appealed for peace and brotherhood. Senior officials have visited the place of violence, peace committees have been formed and other steps have been taken in this direction,” he added. In response to an urgent question on “Recent Violence in India” tabled by Pakistani-origin Opposition Labour Party MP Khalid Mahmood in the House of Commons on Tuesday, UK’s Minister of State in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Nigel Adams had said, “The UK government also have concerns about the potential impact of the legislation (CAA).” Earlier today, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei also said that the Indian government should confront extremist Hindus and stop the ‘massacre’ of Muslims. “The hearts of Muslims all over the world are grieving over the massacre of Muslims in India. The govt of India should confront extremist Hindus & their parties & stop the massacre of Muslims in order to prevent India’s isolation from the world of Islam,” Khamenei tweeted. Meanwhile, the death toll in communal violence that broke out in northeast Delhi last month, which was sparked by protests over the amended Citizenship Act, climbed to 53 on Thursday. So far, GTB hospital has confirmed 44 deaths while three deaths have been confirmed at Lok Nayak hospital and five at RML and one at Jag Pravesh. 📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App.

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Two-season limited event series “The Walking Dead: World Beyond” had been set to premiere April 12th on AMC, but we’ve learned this week that the premiere has been delayed. The new spinoff series, which tells the story of the first generation to come-of-age in the apocalypse, will now be arriving on AMC “later this year.” We have no new date at this time. According to Deadline, the series “had wrapped filming but was in post-production on the last few episodes, which has been impacted by the COVID-19-related company closures.” Filming on “The Walking Dead” and “Fear the Walking Dead” is also on hold. In “World Beyond”… “Some will become heroes. Some will become villains. In the end, all of them will be changed forever. Grown-up and cemented in their identities, good & bad.” “Two sisters along with two friends leave a place of safety and comfort to brave dangers, known and unknown, living and undead on an important quest. Pursued by those who wish to protect them and those who wish to harm them, a tale of growing up and transformation unfurls across dangerous terrain, challenging everything they know about the world, themselves and each other.”

AMC has postponed the series premiere of The Walking Dead: World Beyond — the second spin-off in the popular zombie apocalypse franchise — due to coronavirus-related production shutdowns. Deadline reports that the series was initially set to premiere on April 12 but will now move to sometime “later this year.” The article confirms that while World Beyond has finished filming its first season, post-production on the last few episodes has been disrupted by production shutdowns due to the current pandemic. World Beyond joins several other television shows and films in being halted or delayed over the coronavirus outbreak. Season four of the critically-acclaimed FX series, Fargo, was also slated for an April premiere date but will now be pushed back. Another factor worth noting in the television network schedule is the lack of new content to air later this year. With so many shows shutting down their production, many networks will face a shortage of programming in the fall. AMC is making a smart business move by withholding World Beyond for later months when they may be short on content. According to Deadline, AMC and other ad-supported networks will also have to contend with major advertising companies restructuring their content because of unemployment, a plummeting stock market, and cross-cutting measures amid the health crisis. Networks will be more selective in ad spending, preferring to wait until later in the year to delegate rather than using it now. The Walking Dead: World Beyond is moving its premiere date from Sunday April 12th to later this year. Follow here for more updates. pic.twitter.com/1Ncc4VViUt — TWDWorldBeyond (@TWDWorldBeyond) March 20, 2020 The latest spin-off in The Walking Dead franchise will further “expand the universe.” Instead of focusing on already established characters, it will aim toward a younger demographic by focusing on the “first generation raised in a surviving civilization of the post-apocalyptic world.” “Two sisters along with two friends leave a place of safety and comfort to brave dangers, known and unknown, living and undead on an important quest,” the article continues. It stars Nico Tortorella of Younger fame, Aliyah Royale, Hal Cumpston, Alexa Mansour, Nicolas Cantu Annet Mahendru, and Julia Ormond. Dozens of fans are tweeting about their disappointment over the postponement in the comments section of the above tweet. Several people expressed their dismay at having one less show to watch during the quarantine. Some wondered if this news would mean the planned Rick Grimes films would also wind up delayed. “Why though? By the looks of it, it seems our quarantine might be extended. What better time for people to watch the new show when we’re all going to be home anyway?” asked one user.

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An Indian actor who joined students protesting against the government has been subjected to calls on social media for a boycott of her upcoming film, as well as drawing praise for being a rare Bollywood A-lister to stand up against a crackdown on dissent. Deepika Padukone stood silently behind students chanting anti-government slogans at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi on Tuesday evening, surprising many in a country where top film stars typically avoid politics. Students at JNU, regarded as a leftwing bastion, have protested for months against an announced rise in fees as well as a new citizenship law, which critics say discriminates against Muslims and erodes India’s secular constitution. Masked men wielding sticks stormed the JNU campus on Sunday, injuring about 30 people. Students and some faculty blamed the assault on a student union with ties to the prime minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party. The student union has denied these allegations, blaming leftwing groups for the violence. Pictures circulating online showing Padukone standing behind an injured student leader, whose head was covered in a bandage, appeared on social media, raising calls for a boycott of her film Chhapaak (Splash), which is due to be released on Friday. “#BoycottChhapaak” was Twitter’s top trending topic in India on Wednesday, with more than 350,000 tweets on the subject. The film is based on the true story of a woman who survived an acid attack and rebuilt her life. “What a brazen & cheap tactic to promote a film!” wrote one Twitter user about Padukone, while another added: “She chooses JNU where leftists who want to break India dominate!” Some Bollywood figures lauded Padukone, and vowed to support the film. “Let’s all those who stand against the violence go to @bookmyshow and show them,” tweeted the actor and filmmaker Anurag Kashyap. Padukone, who starred in the 2017 action film xXx: Return of Xander Cage with Vin Diesel, did not appear to have made any statement on Tuesday. She was not available for comment on Wednesday, her spokeswoman said. The protests sweeping India in recent weeks have posed a dilemma for Bollywood, which has some big-name Muslim actors but is sensitive to the sentiments of the country’s Hindu majority. “The reason why a whole lot of stars back away from making statements is because they are afraid of the consequences it will have on their films,” said the brand consultant and columnist Santosh Desai. “To do this so close to a film is certainly risky.”

Millions go on strike against Modi govt’s policies NEW DELHI/KOLKATA/ MUMBAI: Millions went on strike throughout India on Wednesday, unions said, as workers angry at the government´s labour policies brought travel chaos across the country. The widespread action was in opposition to what unions called the "anti-worker and anti-people policies" of right-wing Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They highlighted the recent privatisation of public firms and natural resources and demanded a rise in the minimum wage and pensions. Farmers and students joined some of the protests called by 10 trade unions who claim 250 million members between them. Bus and train services and state-owned banks bore the brunt of the national strike action that was staged in defiance of government warnings of "consequences" for anyone who took part. Protesters blocked roads and railway tracks, while those at rallies also chanted slogans against the government´s new nationality law that opponents say is anti-Muslim and has sparked widespread demonstrations. In West Bengal state, strikers targeted railways and key highways and burned tyres on a main road in the state capital of Kolkata. Protesters carried red flags at rallies in the city. Police said there had been some "clashes" in Kolkata and other districts between supporters and opponents of the strike. The eastern states of Bihar and Odisha, Maharashtra in the west, Haryana in the north and Kerala and Karnataka in the south were also hit by the action. Some workers at state oil and coal firms joined the strike. The government had warned strikers that they would face "consequences" including having wages deducted and other disciplinary action if they joined the protest. But the strike added to pressure on the Modi government already hit by widespread protests over the nationality law passed on December 11. More than 25 people have been killed in the protests. Growing unrest in universities has added to social tensions. "The attitude of the government is that of contempt towards labour," said the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, one of the groups organising Wednesday´s 24-hour strike. Opposition parties have backed the strikers. Rahul Gandhi, former leader of the main opposition Congress party, said the government had "created catastrophic unemployment" in a Twitter message praising the action. A government´s move to privatise big state-run firms as it struggles to get out of a severe economic slowdown has riled the opposition and unions. The government statistics office forecast on Tuesday that annual growth would slow to 5.0 percent in 2020, the slowest pace in 11 years. Last month the International Monetary Fund said the Indian government must take steps quickly to reverse the slowdown. It said declining consumption and investment, coupled with falling tax revenue, had combined to put the brakes on what was once the fastest growing of the world´s major economies. Meanwhile, Indian police fired live rounds Wednesday to break up a protest by strikers taking part in nationwide action against government economic policies, officials said. West Bengal was the worst hit, with police firing live rounds in the air to break up protesters who set fire to police vehicles and threw rocks at security forces in Malda district, north of the capital Kolkata, a senior police officer said. They also fired tear gas and baton-charged other protests in the eastern state, where many roads and railway lines were blocked. Police said more than 150 arrests were made. Meanwhile, a top Indian actress who joined students protesting against the government drew calls on social media on Wednesday for a boycott of her upcoming film, as well as praise for being a rare Bollywood A-lister to stand up against a crackdown on dissent. Deepika Padukone stood silently behind students chanting anti-government slogans at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University on Tuesday evening, surprising many in a country where top film stars typically avoid politics. Her act of solidarity came after masked men wielding sticks and rods stormed the JNU campus on Sunday, injuring some 30 people. Students at JNU, regarded as a left-wing bastion, have protested for months against an announced fee hike as well as a new citizenship law, which critics say discriminates against Muslims and erodes India’s secular constitution. Pictures circulating online showing a solemn-faced Padukone standing behind an injured student leader, whose head was covered in a bandage, set off social media storm, raising calls for a boycott of her film “Chhapaak” (Splash), which is set to be released on Friday.

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Small winding streets and low-rise houses. Zoshigaya is only a short walk away from the malls, highways and flashing lights of Ikebukuro, but feels like a silent suburb in comparison. This homely heartland has maintained its Showa-era (1926 – 1989) atmosphere, with winding lanes lined with family homes and small shops selling everyday conveniences. A soft silence permeates the air around this shitamachi area that is heavy with history. At the center of the neighborhood, the Kishimojin Temple has an impressive heritage all of its own. Founded in 1664, the old wooden temple can be entered and explored (rare among historic temples). It’s dedicated to the Mother Goddess Kishimojin, who doesn’t sound as nice as she first sounds — she was originally a demon who ate children, before repenting to Buddha and becoming a force of goodness. Nowadays, this goddess helps with birth and child-rearing. The grounds of the temple are also shared by the charming Kamikawaguchiya, a sweet shop founded in 1781 and currently in its 13th generation of family ownership. Close to the main entrance of the temple, a weaving tunnel of vermilion torii gates, lead toward a shrine dedicated to Inari (one of the main Shinto gods) and encircle a towering 33-meter-tall, 700-year-old ginkgo tree. The tree — especially beautiful during fall when it glows golden — is purportedly the second largest tree in Tokyo, only pipped to the post by the ginkgo tree at Zenpukuji Temple in Azabu. Another insight into the history of the area is Kishimojin omotesando, a zelkova tree-lined paved road that leads to the temple gates. Like an image from a Tokyo of the past, the soft sereneness of the street is straight out of a Showa-era textbook. It is here that the Zoshigaya Information Center is located inside a wooden shop dating from 1933: the place to go for maps and tourist information about Zoshigaya. Other buildings from the 1930s still remain along this stretch, with some cafes and other businesses setting up inside the heritage area. It’s just off of the Kishimojin omotesando that a tangible taste of the past can be found alive still. Zoshigaya was where the creator of Astro Boy, Osamu Tezuka (1928 – 1989), lived and worked. His old address, Namiki House, is still a creative space to this day; the lodgings feature 11 rooms across two floors, with Tezuka himself renting a back room on the second floor from 1954. Astro Boy posters now hang along the plain-walled stone corridors — a nod to the building’s famous past inhabitant. Far from a dusty museum, the landlord has kept the spirit of the era alive; the apartment block, built in 1953, is still a private residential building, but it is possible to view it by contacting the owner (via Zoshigaya Information Center). The present day residents of Zoshigaya seem to live not much differently from those of Tezuka’s time. Spread across the stumbling steep sides of the valley, the old zaka (slopes) hold a surprising amount of everyday life that has remained in this district for decades. Zatsuni Store, for example, is a seemingly dark and dingy looking alley that looks as if it has been reconstructed museum for visitors to experience historic 1950s life, but this old-world mall is real and, somehow, still surviving in modern-day Tokyo. Just walking along its sections of snaking streets can conjure up past snapshots of Showa-era Zoshigaya. Spliced by a street overhung with wooden buildings and potted plants, Iseya Shokuryohinten appears. A precursor to the days when convenience stores took over Tokyo, the shop sells an innumerable amount of household goods, from sweets and groceries, to bento (packed lunches) and children’s toys. Its low-priced meals are a favorite of visitors to the temple who crave a nostalgic lunch spot. On the opposite corner, the Akamaru Bakery impressively boasts over 100 years of history and remains a go-to for locals to this day, luring hungry customers in with the irresistible aroma of freshly baked treats, such as their much-loved curry bread. A few minutes’ walk from the corner where Akamura Bakery sits is another historic relic, but this time from a different era entirely. Constructed in the modest Carpenter Gothic style, a popular design of suburban American homes at the time, the McCaleb Old Missionary House was built in 1907 for American missionary John Moody McCaleb (1861 – 1953). One of the only remaining missionary houses that still stand in Tokyo from the Meiji era (1868 – 1912), the house is now a Missionary Heritage Museum and is free to enter (though it’s closed on Mondays and certain Sundays). Being the historic area it is, it’s no surprise that the sprawling Zoshigaya Reien (Cemetery) has some suitably fascinating stories to tell. Zoshigaya Cemetery was established in 1874 by the local government as a public graveyard under the Meiji period policy that, along with banning cremation, prohibited burial in the center of Tokyo. The vast graveyard is gridded with numerous namestones that sit on the backdrop of Ikebukuro skyscrapers. Cats laze on graves, stretched-out long to soak up the sunshine, and trees whose leaves are dyed an array of auburns by the autumn sun create a pleasant final resting place for Tokyoites of the past. There are some famous names among those laid to rest here: novelist Natsume Soseki, influential translator Nakahama Manjiro and writer Lafcadio Hearn, to name just a few. Further along from the graveyard, Chitose Bridge is today passed under by the rumble of traffic as drivers go about their routine journeys in the city. Built in 1932, the bridge is one of Tokyo’s most preeminent; the steel structure, painted dark green, has been featured in many Japanese dramas as an iconic location and is still very much in use today. But there are signs that change is coming: a new ring road currently in construction is likely to alter the aesthetics of the surrounding area; and development along the historic Toden Arakawa tram line, which connects the neighborhood to other centers in the urban sprawl, is sculpting a new look for Zoshigaya’s main thoroughfare that could affect the historic character It’s easy to imagine Tezuka living and working in Zoshigaya. The neighborhood has a charisma that remains today, conjuring up a strange nostalgia of the past even for those who didn’t know that time to begin with. It’s easy to hope that this district and its history will be maintained as it is, without too much creeping development and demands of modern-day life taking over. Nothing, however, is certain. There’s something comforting about the underlying beauty of Zoshigaya, how life has remained the same for years in the streets of this Tokyo heartland, how the old trees who have watched the lives of prior residents, and how crazy it is to think that a short stroll away, instead of trees, skyscrapers scrutinize the scurry of people in Ikebukuro. All photo credit: Rebecca Saunders

On a brisk morning in November 1960, Parisians were greeted with a special four-page newspaper placed alongside the weekly Le Journal du Dimanche. It was not a paper known to anyone, and its front page featured a smartly dressed man frozen in curvilinear form, having just flung himself from a second-story roof onto the cement sidewalk below. “A man in space!” the headline proclaimed, announcing the newcomer’s victory over the heated international space race. “The painter of space leaps into the void!” Yves Klein Harry Shunk The man was avant-garde artist, and it was his own satirical publication featuring his now-famous image Leap into the Void (1960). It was easy, at the time, to take the photograph at face value—that Klein was abandoning himself to gravity. In truth, Klein’s wife and friends were holding a tarpaulin to catch his falling body. The magician’s illusion was executed off the scene by photographersand Jean Kender. In a darkroom, they composited an image of the empty street with one of the artist’s fall. Robert Frank Henri Cartier-Bresson Leap into the Void was unprecedented in photography. While photographers likeandused “straight” photography to seek emotional truths, Klein harnessed the inherent malleability of the medium’s veracity. Leap was a modern-day legend. For decades after his untimely death in 1962, the story behind the image was hotly disputed, and some accounts still differ today. Klein would have never admitted to trickery, though he was winking between every line of his newspaper. “Today the painter of space must, in fact, go into space to paint, but he must go there without trickery or deception,” he wrote. “He must be capable of levitation.” Klein’s career only spanned about seven years, but he was a temerarious figure in the art world. He was best known for his monochromatic paintings with the ultramarine pigment he eventually registered, International Klein Blue (IKB), and his avant-garde high jinks. He published an art catalogue of non-existent paintings. He had nude models cover themselves in IKB and print their own bodies on paper. While they did so, an orchestra played a single note for 20 minutes, followed by 20 minutes of silence. For his last act, he had a series of heart attacks at age 34, the first during the screening of a film in which his role had been cut. “Klein was clever and charismatic—a mystic and a mythmaker who beguiled his admirers with the prospect of transcending the material limitations of earthly life,” Mia Fineman wrote in the Metropolitan Museum of Art ’s exhibition catalogue for the 2012 show “Faking It: Manipulated Photography Before Photoshop,” which included his famed image. Klein’s Leap wasn’t his first dally with the concept of the void. In 1958, in a show known as “The Void” at Iris Clert Gallery in Paris, the only object in the gallery was a cabinet that Klein had emptied. As a parting gift, gallerygoers went home to discover that the IKB-hued cocktails they’d been served came out blue on the other end, too. The artist’s fascination with the void came from his training in judo, which he studied fervorously to earn a fourth-degree black belt. He trained at Tokyo’s Kodokan Judo Institute in 1953, and he became infatuated with the Japanese Buddhist idea of an infinite expanse of nothingness. Klein reportedly didn’t take the leap into the void just once, but multiple times. Before photographers Shunk and Kender were present, Klein claimed to have tested it on his own with no one to break his fall. On the day of, he jumped many times in the Paris suburb of Fontenay-aux-Roses, practicing the arc of his body and testing different elements in the scene. “There were three versions in the end,” Shunk relayed to the London Times at a later date. “One with a bike, one with Yves’s car, and one with nothing. He immediately decided that the official version should be one with the bike, but then he also sent out the other one. But never the one with the car; he hated the car because it was cheap.” Though the performance and newspaper were saturated in irony, Klein was serious about keeping the illusion in tact: Shunk said he was threatened with legal action if he ever pulled back the Ozian curtain. The mysteries of the photograph weren’t fully revealed until two shows in 2010 delved into the making of the image. One of them, at the Menil Collection in Houston, even had the Holy Grail: a piece of slate purported to be from the roof from which Klein jumped. Klein’s Leap reveals more than an illusionist’s trick, but the very nature of photography that we often forget, no matter how many doctored images we see today. “Convincing to the eye if not to the mind, Klein’s Leap symbolically enacts the leap of faith we make in accepting the truth of any photograph,” Fineman writes, “acknowledging both the pleasures and the perils involved in the willing suspension of disbelief.”

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Joe Rogan has claimed he knows the exact moment Tyson Fury worked out how to beat Deontay Wilder, in the 12th round of the pair's first fight. Fury said in the build up to the rematch last Saturday that he would put Wilder on the back foot and knock him out, which is exactly what he did. According to UFC commentator Rogan the fight was pretty much set to go the way it did in the last two minutes of their December 2018 meeting, when the Gypsy King rose from an eight count after a huge shot from Wilder to dominate the rest of the round. Speaking on his podcast Rogan said, "In the 12th round, he started backing Deontay up - Deontay can't fight backing up. Advert 10 "Deontay is a guy who pushes forward, and he's got this ridiculous power. Everybody's scared of his power, so everybody's moving all the time. "Fury realized in the 12th round after Deontay knocked him down, almost knocked him out, he got up and started chasing Deontay, and Deontay fought sloppy. He said he looked awkward." Fury did take the centre of the ring straight away in the first round and it was a position that he barely gave up as for most he won every single round of the fight. Advert 10 He and his team claimed that Wilder was a bully and when bullies are forced back they don't know how to handle it, and so it proved. The Brit twice knocked down his American opponent, in the third and fifth round, before eventually having the fight stopped when the Bronze Bomber's corner through in the towel. Wilder has 30 days to activate a rematch clause for the trilogy fight and has said that he plans on making sure there is a third fight, after they fought out a draw in the original fight. Advert 10 Many fight fans would prefer if the former WBC champion moved aside to allow the current champ to fight fellow Englishman Anthony Joshua in a unification fight but that looks unlikely right now. Fury landed a lot on the front foot. Image: PA Images If the 34-year-old American is to face Fury for a third time then he might have to completely rethink his plan for the fight.

(CNN) The self-styled "Gypsy King" Tyson Fury produced a boxing masterclass to reign again as a world heavyweight champion after he pummeled Deontay Wilder to claim a seventh round stoppage in their eagerly awaited rematch in Las Vegas Saturday. Fourteen months after their epic split-decision draw, the British boxer wrested the World Boxing Council (WBC) version of the title from Wilder with a dominant performance at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, flooring his opponent in the third and fifth rounds before the US fighter's corner threw in the towel to spare their man further punishment. "The king has returned to the top of the throne," said Fury, who remains unbeaten after 31 bouts. Wilder, making his 11th defense of the WBC crown, was suffering his first defeat in 44 fights, falling to 42-1 with one drawn. While not quite living up to his pre-fight prediction of a second round knock out, Fury had been on top from the opening bell, landing heavy blows with little coming in return from a well-beaten Wilder. Only the defeated champion's bravery enabled him to extend the contest to the seventh, with Fury paying tribute to his courage. "I just want to say a big shout out Deontay Wilder," he said. "He manned up, he really did show heart of a champion. "I hit him with a clean right hand and dropped him, and he got back up and battled on into round seven. "He is a warrior, he will be back, he will be champion again." British boxer Tyson Fury celebrates after defeating US boxer Deontay Wilder. Wilder, who fell short in his bid to surpass Muhammad Ali's record of 10 successful heavyweight title defenses, protested his corner's decision to halt the fight. "I just wish that my corner would have let me went out on my shield," he said. "I'm a warrior." The 34-year-old, who knocked Fury down twice in their previous fight despite being out boxed, could not repeat that formula second time around but does have a rematch clause. Before that, Fury may turn his attention to claiming the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO versions of the world heavyweight crown, which are held by his British compatriot Anthony Joshua, in a unification bout. Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn immediately took to social media to talk up the prospect of that fight later this year. No need for a third let's go straight to it in the Summer! #undisputed — Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) February 23, 2020 For now, Fury, who sports his nickname because of his Irish Traveler background, can celebrate his stunning victory, completing his comeback to the ring after battling depression and addiction and being stripped of the original world titles he won by beating the great Wladimir Klitschko in 2015. He had looked relaxed and confident as he was carried to the ring on a moving throne to the delight of his many and vociferous supporters in a packed arena. They had reason to cheer their fighter from the start, but it was in the third round that the action really erupted as Fury knocked down Wilder with a massive right. Somehow the American, who was down again after a slip, survived to the end of the round and he regained a little of his composure in the fourth as Fury sought a further knockdown. US boxer Deontay Wilder reacts during his World Boxing Council (WBC) Heavyweight Championship Title boxing match against British boxer Tyson Fury at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on February 22, 2020. It was not long coming, with a left to the body doing the trick again in the fifth and by then it looked only a matter of time before the fight was halted. Fury was delivering further heavy blows in the seventh before the towel came in and referee Kenny Bayless called a formal halt to the proceedings after one minute 39 seconds of the round. Ever the showman, Fury celebrated with a karaoke-style rendition of Don McLean's Amercan Pie while Wilder was left to lick his wounds, being later taken to hospital as a precaution. Fury, who came in 16 pounds heavier than in the first bout with Wilder, had got the tactics he had worked on with new trainer Javan "Sugarhill" Steward perfectly right. Tyson Fury knocks down Deontay Wilder in the fifth during their Heavyweight bout for Wilder's WBC and Fury's lineal heavyweight title on February 22, 2020 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. He combined his extra power with patience against the hard-hitting Wilder, who had proved from their first bout how dangerous he could be when cornered. But there was to be no repeat in what many had billed as the biggest heavyweight title fight of this century, with a host of celebrities that included Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes and retired NBA great Magic Johnson, watching the proceedings. Photos: In pictures: Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder WBC heavyweight championship British boxer Tyson Fury enters the ring at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Hide Caption 1 of 13 Photos: In pictures: Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder WBC heavyweight championship Deontay Wilder of the United States enters the ring wearing a mask. Hide Caption 2 of 13 Photos: In pictures: Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder WBC heavyweight championship A large screen displays a video of Fury before the start of the match. Hide Caption 3 of 13 Photos: In pictures: Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder WBC heavyweight championship Fury punches Wilder at the beginning of the match. Hide Caption 4 of 13 Photos: In pictures: Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder WBC heavyweight championship Fury knocks Wilder to the ground. Hide Caption 5 of 13 Photos: In pictures: Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder WBC heavyweight championship Fury raises his arms in celebration after knocking down Wilder. Hide Caption 6 of 13 Photos: In pictures: Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder WBC heavyweight championship Wilder throws a punch at Fury. Hide Caption 7 of 13 Photos: In pictures: Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder WBC heavyweight championship Referee Kenny Bayless speaks to Wilder. Hide Caption 8 of 13 Photos: In pictures: Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder WBC heavyweight championship Wilder reacts to Bayless. Hide Caption 9 of 13 Photos: In pictures: Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder WBC heavyweight championship Wilder and Fury exchange punches. Hide Caption 10 of 13 Photos: In pictures: Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder WBC heavyweight championship Fury knocks down Wilder during the fifth round. Hide Caption 11 of 13 Photos: In pictures: Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder WBC heavyweight championship Fury celebrates his win by TKO in the seventh round against Wilder. Hide Caption 12 of 13 Photos: In pictures: Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder WBC heavyweight championship This was the first defeat in 44 fights for Wilder, while Fury remains unbeaten after 31 bouts, with one draw from their previous bout in December 2018. Hide Caption 13 of 13 An all-British clash with Joshua to unify the heavyweight titles, would also be a massive draw, where ever hosted, with Hearn telling the UK's Talk Sport that his fighter is eager for it to happen. "I have already spoken to AJ, (Anthony Joshua) he wants this fight. He has zero fear of Tyson Fury and he wants to be undisputed. "It has become not just the biggest fight in British boxing history, it has become the biggest fight in the history of the sport worldwide," he claimed.

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After almost nine months without a contract, there may be an end in sight for Ashland teachers. The Ashland City School District Board of Education voted at its meeting Monday to accept the third-party fact-finder’s report. "The ball is in their court," said Board President Zack Truax. The board and the Ashland City Teachers’ Association received the fact-finder’s report Sunday evening. Both sides have seven days to meet and vote on whether to accept the mediator’s recommendations. Both parties declined to share specifics from the report. Melissa Baker, an Ashland High School Spanish teacher and the president of the teachers association, said the union plans to meet Thursday after school to vote. "I’m pleasantly surprised that [the board] acted and approved the fact-finder’s report," Baker said. "I think [the fact-finder’s report is] pretty fair in both sides’ favor. There were some things that we asked for on our side that were granted to us and there were some things the board asked for that were granted to them." Ashland teachers have been working without a contract since June. Negotiations stalled in part because Ashland City teachers say they have not received a raise in their base salaries in nine years. The district is continuing to operate under an expired collective bargaining agreement. "Negotiations are a give and take and the number one thing for us is our kids win because we’re going back to seven and half-hour days," said Superintendent Doug Marrah. "Our teachers spend that time helping the kids, lesson planning…" In the last few years, Ashland teachers were paid a few thousand dollars stipend for working a seven-hour, 30-minute workday. This school year, while working without a contract, the teachers worked 25 minutes less each day and did not receive the stipend, which last year was $5,000. Also at Monday's meeting, Marrah recognized the staff of Taft Intermediate School for receiving an Outstanding Achievement award from the Ohio State Senate in the fall. "There's no secret: it's always about amazing teachers that are going to work hard and go the extra mile for kids," said Taft Principal Stephen McDonnell. Taft Intermediate School received an A grade in September from the Ohio Department of Education. — Staff writer Jordan Laird can be reached at 419-281-0581 ext. 240 or jlaird@times-gazette.com. Follow her on Twitter @JordanSLaird1.

Two new members joined the Ashland City School District Board Monday evening. The board also elected Zack Truax to President of the Board for 2020. Newly sworn-in Board Members Brandon Wells and Dustin Kruty face ongoing negotiations with the Ashland City Teachers’ Association that have dragged on for eight months. In regards to the negotiations, Kruty said, "we’re going to be just fine." "We’re all trying to get to the same place," Wells said. "We want to be part of the solution." Ashland teachers have been working without a contract since June. Negotiations have been stalled in part because Ashland teachers say they have not received a raise in their base salaries in nine years. The district is continuing to operate under an expired collective bargaining agreement. Fact-finding with a third-party mediator is scheduled for this month. Wells and Kruty both ran unopposed after Lindsey Saffle and Bryan Lefelhoc decided not to run for reelection. Wells, the director of development for the Ashland Salvation Army Kroc Center, has three kids in two Ashland schools. Kruty, a Spreng Smith Insurance agent and an Ashland High School graduate, has four kids in three Ashland schools. "I’m just trying to do my part for them and for the community," Kruty said. — Staff writer Jordan Laird can be reached at 419-281-0581 ext. 240 or jlaird@times-gazette.com. Follow her on Twitter @JordanSLaird1.

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MANILA, Philippines — The cancellation of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s visa may be wrong but there must be a “deeper” reason why the Philippines should terminate its Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States. “Dapat malalim ang dahilan (There must be a deeper reason). It should go beyond the denial of a US visa to a senator,” Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said in a statement on Thursday. ADVERTISEMENT “Because what if the US restores the visa of my good friend Senator Bato, are we then going to reverse course, and press the stop button to the revocation process which, per reports, has been started?” “Paano kung bukas sasabihin ng Amerika na restored na ang visa ni Bato, ano gagawin natin? Is that the remedial action we are seeking or are we motivated by reasons more profound?” Recto said. (What if tomorrow the US says Bato’s visa has been restored, what are we going to do? Is that the remedial action we are seeking or are we motivated by reasons more profound?) He said the Philippines should be able to at least prove that the VFA is unfavorable to the country before revoking it. READ: No stopping Duterte from ending VFA “We must be able to separate the national interest from the personal. The national harm done by the VFA is an issue separate from the actions taken by the other government on a certain individual,” Recto said. President Rodrigo Duterte ordered last week the abrogation of the VFA between the Philippines and the US after Dela Rosa confirmed that the US government had revoked his visa. READ: Confirmed: US voids Senator Bato dela Rosa’s visa “Personally, tingin ko mali ang ginawa ng Amerika kay Bato. BFF nila si Bato noon. Red carpet treatment sa FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) ‘yan. But our response should be commensurate,” Recto said. ADVERTISEMENT (Personally I think, what America did to Bato was wrong. Bato is their BFF. They gave him a red-carpet treatment at the FBI. But our response should be commensurate.) Dela Rosa, a former chief of the Philippine National Police, however, insisted that Duterte’s order to end the agreement was not only because of his visa cancellation. “Ang sinasabi ko na nga hindi ako importante bakit ako ang gagawin nyong reason?” he said, noting Duterte’s claim that the visa cancellation was just the last straw that broke the camel’s back. (I’ve been saying that I’m not important so why are you using me as a reason?) “Napupuno na s’ya (Duterte) so dapat may aksyon syang gagawin. Hindi naman ako ang dahilan…” Dela Rosa also said. (He is already getting impatient so he had to act. I’m not the reason here…) But it would still be better if the two allies could find a way to rescue their “dying relationship,” according to the senator. “The more friends, the better,” Dela Rosa said. Edited by KGA Read Next EDITORS' PICK MOST READ

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DOJ) has started studying how to correctly discontinue the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). “The DOJ has been tasked to study the proper procedure to terminate the VFA. We are doing it now,” Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Friday. ADVERTISEMENT President Rodrigo Duterte said the country will abandon the VFA if the United States will not rectify the cancellation of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s US visa. READ: No Bato visa, no VFA – Duterte While the US embassy did not disclose the reason for voiding Dela Rosa’s visa, the senator believed that it probably has something to do with his role in the Duterte administration’s bloody drug war. Edited by KGA Read Next EDITORS' PICK MOST READ

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In 2018, the situation in Sudan was really bad. Millions of people demonstrated against the government on the streets, with three demands: freedom, peace, justice. After five months, President Omar al-Bashir and the National Congress Party were ousted in a military coup, with the government initially led by the Transitional Military Council and now by the Sovereignty Council of Sudan. The Sovereignty Council has promised to lead a transition to democracy and to step aside by October 2022. The program, sponsored by the “Palanca ev” African cultural association in Eberswalde, Germany, will be held February 8 from 1 to 5 pm, at Coppistraße1, 16227 Eberswalde, Germany. To contact us for more information, call +49 1578 4296740.

Numbers of African black rhinos in the wild have risen by several hundred, a rare boost in the conservation of a species driven to near extinction by poaching. Black rhinos are still in grave danger but the small increase – an annual rate of 2.5% over six years, has swollen the population from 4,845 in 2012 to an estimated 5,630 in 2018, giving hope that efforts put into saving the species are paying off. The painstaking attempts to save the black rhino have included moving some individuals from established groups to new locations, increasing the species’ range and ensuring viable breeding populations, as well as protecting them through stronger law enforcement efforts. Numbers of all of the three subspecies of black rhino are now improving. SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN Share it!

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The event is scheduled for Jan. 25 and will feature opportunities for cash donations The Central Kitchen and Bar in Kelowna have grilled up an event, Burgers for Elara, in an effort to raise money for the Isagawa family and their one-year-old daughter Elara, who was diagnosed with a tumour on Christmas Eve. On Dec. 31 Elara underwent a 6.5-hour surgery to remove 98 per cent of the tumour between her pelvis and abdomen, however, family member Jessica Isagawa said Elara still has a long road to recovery ahead of her. “After meeting with Elara’s oncology team, it was discovered that Elara’s tumour is malignant and needs to be treated with up to four rounds of chemotherapy,” said Jessica. “Each round of chemotherapy will last about a month.” READ MORE: Fundraiser for one-year-old Kelowna girl with tumour According to a post on Central’s Facebook Page, Elara’s parents Nico and Jessica Isagwa have a special connection to the Central. Years ago Nico and Jessica had their first date at the establishment, which led to their engagement, followed by engagement photos at Central, which then led to the birth of their daughter Elara. “Ok Kelowna, it’s time to show up and show out for the most precious little girl who is currently in the fight of her young life, “read Central’s post on Facebook. “We cannot imagine what this family is going through, but one thing we do know is that we must help in any way we can.” On Jan. 25, at 5 p.m. Central will be hosting a fundraiser for Elara who is currently battling at B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. The event will feature a “Sweet and Spicy” burger developed by the Isagawas that best represent Elara’s personality. 100 per cent of sales from this burger from over the entire weekend will be donated to the family. Attendees will also have an opportunity to make cash donations and participate in a silent auction with some prizes donated by local businesses. For more information visit Central’s Facebook page or the Burgers for Elara at Central event page. READ MORE: Kelowna family almost reaches fundraising goal for daughter diagnosed with tumour Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

A young Kelowna family who is seeking treatment for their one-year-old daughter’s cancer diagnosis has just received a hand up from a local business. Currently living in Vancouver, The Isagawa's daughter Elara is undergoing chemotherapy at the BC Children’s Hospital. With the costs of living away from home beginning to add up, Kelowna restaurant Central Kitchen and Bar decided to step in and host a fundraiser for the family this past weekend. The ‘Burgers for Elara’ event welcomed hundreds to the eatery to join in on supporting the cause by either eating a burger dedicated to the tenacious toddler or by participating in the silent auction. With 100% of the proceeds from the sales of the burger and silent auction going directly to the family, hungry patrons and generous donors were able to muster an incredible $10,000 for the Isagawa’s. On Wednesday, Central owners Jared Lee and Devon Murray flew to Vancouver to deliver the incredible news and visit with the family. According to Elara’s grandmother, Candace Chisholm, the restaurant saw tremendous support over the weekend, selling what she believed to be “hundreds of burgers.” “We are blown away and humbled beyond belief,” said Chisholm on behalf of her son and daughter-in-law. “Getting to see Jared and Devon was like getting an extra dose of love from home. We cannot thank these guys and the entire community that came out to support [the event] enough.” Elara’s parents Nico and Jessica have always had a special connection with the restaurant, as it is where they had their first date and even had their engagement photos done, giving the impressive donation an even bigger impact. “Central has always been a place that we have gone to feel at home,” added Chisholm. “They have truly become like family to us, and we thank them so much for the continued support as we get through Elara’s treatments." If you were unable to attend the fundraiser at Central, but are still hoping to donate to the cause, a GoFundMe campaign has been set up for the family.

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Despite facing a highly touted competitor in Novartis' Beovu, Regeneron hasn't broken a sweat as blockbuster eye med Eylea continues to gobble up market share. Already in the lead in multiple indications, new two-year data could help Regeneron make the case for its drug in the preventive setting as well. After two years, injectable Eylea sliced the risk of vision-threatening complications by 75% over placebo in patients with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy, according to phase 3 data released Friday. Regeneron touted the data as a case for physicians to use Eylea preventively, as 58% of patients in the phase 3 Panorama trial's control arm developed diabetic macular edema or compromised vision at the two-year mark. The FDA approved Eylea in May to treat all stages of diabetic retinopathy, a condition that affects about 8 million people worldwide and is the leading cause of blindness in U.S. adults, the company said. The administration based its nod on six- and 12-month data from the Panorama study showing Eylea significantly cut the risk of patients developing proliferative diabetic retinopathy when treated every eight and 16 weeks. RELATED: Can Regeneron weather Novartis' Eylea rival and Praluent new deal? No worries, says exec

Drugmakers of all shapes and sizes are chasing after therapeutics and vaccines to fight the novel coronavirus. But among the pack, one company's track record might give it the jump on a treatment—and at least one analyst is not afraid to heap praise on its efforts. Regeneron's "innovative horsepower and initiative" in its response to COVID-19, including a push to repurpose arthritis med Kevzara and quickly identify new antibodies to target the virus, has put the drugmaker in the lead to develop a treatment, Evercore ISI analyst Josh Schimmer said in a note to investors Friday. After a luncheon with CEO Len Schleifer, Schimmer touted Regeneron's response not only to COVID-19 but also Ebola as a "national strategic asset" for the U.S. given the drugmaker's quick mobilization in outbreaks. Webinar Use Serialization Data to Maximize Performance and Minimize Risks Wednesday, March 18 | 11am ET / 8am PT Serialized products generate a wealth of data as they move through the supply chain. What if you could access and analyze this data to gain operational visibility and powerful business insight? It’s time to put your serialization investment to work for you. Register Now "Our most important takeaway is that the COVID pandemic is a lesson of how lucky the country is to have (Regeneron)––it is poised to perhaps have the biggest impact on this outbreak," Schimmer wrote. RELATED: Could arthritis med Kevzara hold promise against the novel coronavirus? Sanofi, Regeneron aim to find out

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Celltrion has confirmed it will build a biosimilars plant in China and may merge its healthcare and pharma units. A spokesman told Bioprocess Insider: ŌĆ£Celltrion plans to build a plant in China in a move to directly advance into the worldŌĆÖs second-largest biopharmaceutical market. Celltrion signed a business agreement with the city government of Wuhan and the provincial government of Hubei Province on 20 January 2020. ŌĆ£The companyŌĆÖs business roadmap centers on building a plant with a production capacity of 120,000 liters in China to boost capacity amid rising demand. The plant will not only manufacture biopharmaceutical products but also include CMO business,ŌĆØ he added. The spokesman went on to say that ŌĆ£Celltrion will eventually also set up its sales and manufacturing infrastructure in China and a portfolio of 16 products tailored for the Chinese market will be set up by 2030. The comments came after Celltrion chairman Seo Jung-jin announced plans for the China plant at the JP Morgan Healthcare conference last week. Also, according to the Yonhap News Agency, Celltrion will sell Remsima, a biosimilar version of Janssen BiotechŌĆÖs autoimmune disease drug Remicade (infliximab), in China. The subcutaneous formulation of Remsima was approved by the European Commission for patients with rheumatoid arthritis in┬ĀNovember 2019 Celltrion Healthcare, the firmŌĆÖs distribution arm, has applied for a further extension to the marketing authorization to include inflammatory bowel disease. This EU decision is expected in mid-2020. Merger? In related news, Celltrion is considering merging its Celltrion Healthcare Co. and Celltrion Pharm Inc businesses. According to a regulatory filing published last Friday (here in Korean), the firm is conducting an internal review to assess such a merger. Celltrion Pharma is the firmŌĆÖs drug business, while Celltrion Healthcare handles distribution in overseas markets. According to the Pulse newswire, Seo shared the possibility of a merger at the JP Morgan conference. He told delegates such a move would create synergy by integrating development, production and distribution. Enhanced ADC platform Seo also shared details of CelltrionŌĆÖs drug development plan, which will involve a new platform technology and drug repositioning. According to a company statement the tech ŌĆō the Antibody Delivery Enhancing Domain (ADED) ŌĆō is designed to increase the delivery efficiency of antibody-drug conjugates and their cell penetration. Celltrion said the approach ŌĆ£has the potential to enhance cancer treatments.ŌĆØ Celltrion partnered with ADED developer iProgen Biotech last year. At the time the firm said the plan was to develop novel ADCs against validated antibody targets, including HER2 and CD20.

South Korea’s Celltrion, which has been building a massive biologics site in Songdo, has decided it is time to build some operations next door in China. The biosimilar maker intends to build in China a plant capable of producing 120,000 liters so it can cash in on that market, Chairman Seo Jung-jin announced at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, the Yonhap News Agency reports. RELATED: Celltrion and Samsung duel shaping up as both pledge billions of dollars to biologics “We are in the final stage of signing a contract with the Chinese government. We will soon announce details of the plant," Seo said Wednesday during the annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference. RELATED: Roche’s patent cliff just got steeper as FDA approves Celltrion’s Rituxan biosimilar Truxima The company is conducting a Phase III trial of its biosimilar of Jansen’s Remicade in China. Celltrion also has biosimilars of Rituxan and Herceptin approved in other markets that it might take to the world’s second-largest drug market. While short on details, Seo last year said the South Korea company intended to lay out $33.6 billion on its pharma business over the next decade. It intends to invest in its biologics operations, ingredient business, as well as artificial intelligence to create an e-commerce market for its drugs.

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77-year-old Joe Biden on Wednesday told a South Carolina crowd that sometimes he wakes up thinking it’s 1920. Biden is currently stumping in South Carolina in a desperate bid to win the state’s primary which is just three days away. The South Carolina Democrat primary will take place this Saturday and Biden is in a tight race with Crazy Bernie according to a recent poll. Biden’s mental faculties are noticeably declining and he raised eyebrows again on Wednesday after he told a crowd he wakes up feeling like he’s in another century. This is not the best strategy in light of his recent gaffes and poor debate performances. “Sometimes I wake up and I think it’s 1920 and not 2020 — no, I mean it,” Biden said in an attempt to attack President Trump. WATCH: Biden also told a South Carolina crowd on Monday night that he’s the ‘ Democratic candidate for the United States Senate .’ “I have a simple proposition here. I’m here to ask you for your help. Where I come from you don’t get far unless you ask,” said Biden. “My name is Joe Biden. I’m a Democratic candidate for the United States Senate. Look me over. [slurs words]..if you don’t like me, you can vote for the other Biden — give me a look though, okay?”

[Ed. – Might?] Former White House physician Ronny Jackson speculated that Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden “might need” cognitive testing. “Remember the cognitive test I gave @realDonaldTrump?” Jackson tweeted on Tuesday. “The one he aced! Sounds like somebody else might need some testing done!! Scary!!” Jackson, who served both former President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump as White House physician from 2013 to 2018, was reacting to a video posted by GOP chairwoman Ronna McDaniel showing Biden announcing himself as “a Democratic candidate for the United States Senate.” Trending: The flaws in the ‘but Trump got elected’ rationale for why Sanders shouldn’t be written off “I’m here to ask you for your help where I come from you don’t get far unless you ask,” Biden told a South Carolina crowd on Monday. “My name’s Joe Biden: I’m a Democratic candidate for the United States Senate. Look me over …”.

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CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Australian dollar lost ground against its key counterparts during the Asian session on Thursday, as Asian stock markets slipped into negative territory despite the European Central Bank's announcement of stimulus measures to combat the coronavirus. The European Central Bank or ECB said it will buy 750 billion euro in bonds through 2020 to help support the European economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Reserve Bank of Australia decided to lower its key interest rates further to a record low and also to purchase government bonds, as the spread of covid-19 disrupts economic activity. At the meeting on Thursday, the Reserve Bank Board headed by Philip Lowe, decided to reduce the cash rate by 25 basis points to 0.25 percent. The bank will purchase government bonds in the secondary market and keep the yield on 3-year bonds at around 0.25 percent. In order to support credit supply to small and medium-sized businesses, the RBA will provide a three-year funding facility to authorized deposit-taking institutions at a fixed rate of 0.25 percent. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed that Australia unemployment rate came in at a seasonally adjusted 5.1 percent in February - beneath expectations for 5.3 percent, which would have been unchanged from the January reading. The Australian economy added 26,700 jobs last month, beating forecasts for an increase of 6,300 jobs following the gain of 13,500 jobs in January. The aussie dropped to 0.5506 against the greenback, its lowest level since October 2002. Next key support for the aussie is seen around the 0.54 level. The aussie fell to an 11-year low of 59.87 against the yen from Wednesday's closing value of 62.33. The aussie is seen finding support around the 58.00 mark. Data from the ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications showed that overall nationwide consumer prices in Japan were up 0.4 percent on year in February. That was shy of expectations for an increase of 0.5 percent and was down from 0.7 percent in January. The aussie depreciated to an 11-year low of 1.9799 against the euro from yesterday's closing quote of 1.8900. The aussie is likely to challenge support around the 2.00 region, if it drops again. The aussie retreated to 1.0021 against the kiwi, from a 3-day high of 1.0160 seen at 8:45 pm ET. The next possible support for the aussie is seen around the 0.99 level. Data from Statistics New Zealand showed that New Zealand's gross domestic product expanded a seasonally adjusted 0.5 percent on quarter in the fourth quarter of 2019. That matched expectations and was down from the upwardly revised 0.8 percent gain in the three months prior. The aussie slipped to an 11-year low of 0.8066 against the loonie, compared to 0.8378 hit late New York Wednesday. Further decline may see the aussie facing support around the 0.81 level. Looking ahead, at 3:00 am ET, Swiss trade data for February will be out. The Swiss National Bank's interest rate decision is due at 4:30 am ET. Economists expect the policy rate to remain unchanged at -0.75 percent. Eurozone construction output for January is scheduled for release in the European session. The U.S. weekly jobless claims for the week ended March 14 and leading index for February will be featured in the New York session. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - Asian stock markets failed to sustain early gains and slipped into negative territory on Thursday as initial euphoria over the European Central Bank's announcement of stimulus measures faded amid worries about the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. The European Central Bank or ECB said it will buy 750 billion euro in bonds through 2020 to help support the European economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Australian market opened higher despite the overnight sell-off on Wall Street as investors went bargain hunting in early trading ahead of anticipated stimulus measures by the Reserve Bank of Australia later in the day. However, the market erased its initial gains in volatile trading and slipped into negative territory amid a series of corporate earnings warnings due to the COVID-19 spread. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index is declining 20.00 points or 0.40 percent to 4,933.20, after rising to a high of 5,102.50 earlier. The broader All Ordinaries Index is losing 40.90 points or 0.82 percent to 4,957.90. In the oil space, Oil Search is falling more than 10 percent, while Woodside Petroleum and Santos are losing more than 5 percent each after crude oil prices crashed to an eighteen-year low overnight. Gold miners are also sharply lower after safe-haven gold prices lost 3 percent overnight. Evolution Mining is tumbling almost 8 percent and Newcrest Mining is losing more than 7 percent. In the banking space, Commonwealth Bank is rising almost 3 percent, while Westpac is up 0.3 percent, ANZ Banking is adding 0.2 percent and National Australia Bank is edging up 0.1 percent. Among the major miners, Rio Tinto is gaining more than 9 percent, Fortescue Metals is higher by more than 8 percent and BHP is rising more than 3 percent. Qantas Airways said it is suspending all international flights, delaying an interim payout of A$201 million, and standing down two-thirds of its workforce until the end of May due to the escalating COVID-19 pandemic. The airline's shares are falling more than 10 percent. More companies, including Nine Entertainment, Adairs and BlueScope Steel, have withdrawn their earnings guidance due to the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. Homewares trader Adairs is tumbling more than 21 percent and Media giant Nine Entertainment is losing almost 8 percent, while BlueScope Steel is rising more than 6 percent. In economic news, the RBA is expected to announce another 25 basis point reduction in the cash rate and a quantitative easing program later today. The Australian Bureau of Statistics said that the jobless rate in Australia came in at a seasonally adjusted 5.1 percent in February, beneath expectations for 5.3 percent, which would have been unchanged from the January reading. The Australian economy added 26,700 jobs last month, beating forecasts for an increase of 6,300 jobs following the gain of 13,500 jobs in January. In the currency market, the Australian dollar is lower against the U.S. dollar on Thursday. The local unit was quoted at $0.5779, down from $0.5998 on Wednesday. The Japanese market opened higher after the European Central Bank announced a 750 billion euros bond-buying program to combat the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. However, the market slipped into negative territory as mounting fears of a global recession due to the COVID-19 pandemic offset optimism about the ECB stimulus. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Index is declining 63.91 points or 0.38 percent to 16,662.64, after climbing to a high of 17,160.97 in early trades. Japanese stocks gave up early gains to close sharply lower on Wednesday. Meanwhile, market heavyweight SoftBank is losing more than 7 percent and Fast Retailing is down 0.3 percent. In the tech space, Advantest is lower by almost 5 percent and Tokyo Electron is declining more than 3 percent. In the oil sector, Inpex is losing more than 3 percent and Japan Petroleum is down 0.6 percent after crude oil prices crashed to an eighteen-year low overnight. Meanwhile, the major exporters are higher on a weaker yen, Mitsubishi Electric is gaining almost 4 percent, Panasonic is rising more than 3 percent, Sony is higher by almost 3 percent and Canon is advancing more than 1 percent. In the auto sector, Honda Motor is climbing more than 5 percent and Toyota Motor is rising almost 4 percent. Among the other major gainers, Unitika is gaining more than 16 percent, Concordia Financial is climbing almost 15 percent and Showa Denko is rising 12 percent. On the flip side, Olympus Corp. is losing 9 percent, while Japan Steel Works, JGC Holdings and Isuzu Motors are lower by almost 8 percent each. On the economic front, overall nationwide consumer prices in Japan were up 0.4 percent on year in February. That was shy of expectations for an increase of 0.5 percent and was down from 0.7 percent in January. Core CPI, which excludes volatile food prices, rose 0.6 percent - in line with forecasts and down from 0.8 percent in the previous month. Japan will also see January results for its all industry activity index today. In the currency market, the U.S. dollar is trading in the upper 108 yen-range on Thursday. Elsewhere in Asia, South Korea is falling more than 7 percent, Taiwan is tumbling almost 7 percent, Indonesia is losing more than 5 percent, and Hong Kong is lower by almost 5 percent. Also, Singapore is down almost 4 percent, while New Zealand and Malaysia are declining more than 2 percent. Shanghai is down almost 2 percent. On Wall Street, stocks pulled back sharply on Wednesday amid continued concerns about economic impact from the coronavirus pandemic. The Dow plunged 1,338.46 points or 6.3 percent to 19,898.92, the Nasdaq plummeted 344.94 points or 4.7 percent to 6,989.84 and the S&P 500 tumbled 131.09 points or 5.2 percent to 2,398.10. The major European markets also showed substantial moves to the downside on Wednesday. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 Index plunged by 4.1 percent, while the German DAX Index and the French CAC 40 Index plummeted by 5.6 percent and 5.9 percent, respectively. Crude oil prices crashed to their lowest level in about eighteen years on Wednesday as growing worries about an imminent recession due to the coronavirus outbreak raised concerns about global energy demand. WTI crude for April ended down $6.58 or 24 percent at $20.37 a barrel, the lowest settlement price since February 2002. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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Coronavirus forcing parents to skip kids’ vaccinations: Unicef KABUL: The novel coronavirus pandemic that has forced billions of people across the globe to stay home is making parents skip routine immunisations for their kids, the United Nations children´s agency Unicef warned Thursday. The phenomenon is being aggravated by overburdened health services where medical workers are being diverted from giving vaccines to focus on the COVID-19 response. Some governments might even have to postpone mass immunisation campaigns as a way of slowing the disease´s spread, Unicef said. The agency's executive director Henrietta Fore said the requirement for people to stay home and observe social distancing was leading parents to "make the difficult decision to defer routine immunisation". Of particular concern are impoverished and war-torn countries battling measles, cholera or polio outbreaks, such as Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, the Philippines, Syria and South Sudan. "At a time like this, these countries can ill-afford to face additional outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases," Fore said in a statement. "Medical goods are in short supply and supply chains are under historic strain due to transport disruptions. Flight cancellations and trade restrictions by countries have severely constrained access to essential medicines, including vaccines." Governments may in future need to postpone preventive mass vaccination campaigns -- where people group together to receive inoculations -- to ensure these do not contribute to the spread of COVID-19, Fore said.

As health workers are diverted to support the response, “physical distancing is leading parents to make the difficult decision to defer routine immunization”, Henrietta Fore said in a statement on Thursday, adding that flight cancellations and trade restrictions have “severely constrained access to essential medicines, including vaccines”. Prevention Preparedness Communication All #COVID19 response efforts must include everyone, including those forced to flee their homes. #AChildIsAChild pic.twitter.com/vQXijsIiNp — UNICEF (@UNICEF) March 26, 2020 “As the pandemic progresses, critical life-saving services, including immunization, will likely be disrupted, especially in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, where they are sorely needed”, she stated, highlighting that children from the poorest families in conflict and natural disaster-affected countries were at “the greatest risk”. Measles, cholera, polio – immunization essential UNICEF is “particularly concerned” about countries battling measles, cholera or polio outbreaks while simultaneously responding to COVID-19 cases. Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, the Philippines, Syria and South Sudan fall into that category. Not only would such outbreaks tax already stretched health services, they could also result in more deaths and greater suffering. “At a time like this, these countries can ill-afford to face additional outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases”, asserted the UNICEF chief. “The message is clear: We must not allow lifesaving health interventions to fall victim to our efforts to address COVID-19”. UNICEF is committed to supporting basic health care and immunization needs in the worst affected countries in a way that limits the risk of COVID-19 transmission, by working to ensure adequate vaccine supplies in countries that need them. The agency is working with global vaccine suppliers to ensure production, and providing support to governments to maintain vaccine supplies during the pandemic. Physical distancing is leading parents to make the difficult decision to defer routine immunization Plan ahead While Governments may have to temporarily postpone mass vaccination campaigns to ensure that delivering immunizations does not contribute to spreading the coronavirus, UNICEF “strongly recommends” that Governments begin “rigorous planning now”, to intensify immunization programmes once the pandemic is under control. “These vaccination activities must focus on children who will miss vaccine doses during this period of interruption and prioritize the poorest and most vulnerable children”, Ms. Fore explained. To successfully roll-out an effective vaccine against COVID-19, when it becomes available, immunization programmes must remain robust and accessible to those that most need inoculations. “As the world's biggest buyer and supplier of vaccines, UNICEF will continue to play a pivotal role in supporting governments’ current and future immunization efforts”, the UNICEF chief concluded. Students missing out Meanwhile, as nationwide school closures disrupt education for more than 80 per cent of students around the world, UNICEF announced that it would scale up support in 145 nations to help learning continue, safely. “It is an unprecedented situation and unless we collectively act now to protect children’s education, societies and economies will feel the burden long after we’ve beaten COVID-19”, said Robert Jenkins, UNICEF Global Chief of Education. “In the most vulnerable communities, the impact will span generations”. Based on lessons learned with the school closures in response to the Ebola epidemics of recent years, UNICEF maintains that the longer children stay away from school, the less likely they are to ever return. Giving children alternative ways to learn also rebuilds a routine, which is critical to the coronavirus response. UNICEF has allocated $13 million to support Governments and education partners to develop plans for a rapid, system-wide response to include alternative learning programmes and mental health support.

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(MENAFN - The Peninsula) The Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) represented by the Training Department launched the third training program for developing the skills of inspectors of MME (third batch/2020). In partnership with the Center for Community Service and Continuing Education at Qatar University, the program will be held from January 19 (starting yesterday) to February 20, 2020 for a period of five weeks, targeting 31 observers and inspectors, said a press release. This program aims at developing the skills of the Ministry's inspectors and observers in the field of inspection and seizure, which requires full knowledge of the skills and information necessary to exercise the tasks of inspection and oversight in the areas determined by the Ministry in accordance with the regulations and standards in the State of Qatar. The program focuses on the importance of inspection, and the community service it provides, in addition to that this program comes within the framework of supporting the Ministry's efforts for comprehensive human development. The development of human resources is one of the four main pillars in the Qatar National Vision 2030, and one of the main goals that the ministry seeks to achieve within the national strategy 2018-22. Mohamed Salem Al Hosani, Director of Training Department at MME, explained the importance of training the ministry's inspectors and monitors and honing their skills in a way that contributes to developing work. MENAFN2001202000630000ID1099574031

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) DOHA: The Ministry of Municipality and Environment has called upon the animal farms to adhere to the regulations and to avoid all kind of violations. The Ministry noted that its authorities concerned will implement inspection drives on the sites of animal farms during the coming period to ensure compliance with the terms of the contract. The inspectors will also monitor and remove all existing violations and take the necessary actions against the violators. The Ministry asked animal farms to cooperate with its inspectors and rectify all violations in compliance with the laws, regulations and requirements regulating farming activities, so that whoever violates the norms will be subjected to legal accountability in accordance with the provisions of the laws applicable in this regard.

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Flathead County is ordering tattoo shops, barbershops, and nail salons to close amid the continuing coronavirus outbreak. On Thursday, Flathead City-County Health Officer Hillary Hanson announced that those businesses would be closed from March 26 until April 10 at 11:59 p.m. The order also includes all message services except those at state-licensed physical therapy and chiropractic practices. “These facilities provide services for which they are unable to practice social distancing and they were not mentioned in the Governor’s Directive,” Hanson said. “We have received an influx of feedback from these facilities expressing concern about their risk and this order supplements the Governor’s Directive to address this risk.” Last week, the county ordered all bars and restaurants closed, except for takeout services. The following day, Gov. Steve Bullock issued a similar order for the entire state.

The Flathead County Commission voted unanimously to declare a state of emergency on Wednesday in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Although there are no cases of the virus, also known as COVID-19, in Northwest Montana, local officials have been preparing for the possibility that someone will be diagnosed with it. Last week, the commission voted to appoint Flathead City-County Public Health Officer Hillary Hanson as incident commander for the county’s response to the virus that has sickened thousands across the country. This week, an incident management team, similar to what would respond to a wildfire, was set up at the Flathead County Office of Emergency Services. Hanson requested the emergency declaration so that the county could access special funding from local, state and federal resources. Gov. Steve Bullock announced a statewide emergency last week. If people want more information about the impacts of coronavirus in Flathead County, they are encouraged to call a newly established information line at (406) 751-8188 or visit https://flatheadhealth.org/novel-coronavirus-covid-19/.

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While kids are out of school Burger King restaurants in the United States are offering two free kids meals for one adult meal in response to the coronavirus pandemic. >>Which Dayton area restaurants are offering carryout, delivery and curbside service? The offer, reported by Bloomberg earlier this week, is available online or through Burger King’s mobile-phone app. Burger King is offering orders for carryout and delivery. we’re thinking about you. we believe restaurants will have an increasingly essential role in feeding our country. so whether you’re ordering at BK or elsewhere, use minimum contact methods like drive-thrus, pick-up or delivery. take care, https://t.co/tWSdfUbbGu cc: @whitehouse — Burger King (@BurgerKing) March 17, 2020 Jose Cil, CEO of Burger King's parent company, Restaurant Brands International Inc., discussed the new offer on Tuesday after participating in a conference call with President Trump, according to Bloomberg.

article Burger King will start offering free kids meals at their US restaurants. This announcement comes as several cities and states have told restaurants to close their dining rooms and only fulfill take-out and delivery orders. At the same time, many school districts across the country have either closed or started teaching students online, which has caused problems for families who rely on school lunches to feed their children. Burger King restaurants in the United States will start offering two free kids meals for one adult meal, Bloomberg reports. The offer will reportedly be available for orders placed through the restaurant's online or mobile apps. Jose Cil, CEO of Burger King's parent company, Restaurant Brands International Inc., discussed the new offer on Tuesday after participating in a conference call with President Trump. The call included other restaurant leaders and was focused on the coronavirus pandemic's effect on the restaurant industry. According to Bloomberg, Cil said, "We work closely with each of our franchisees. We’re going to get through this. We have a strong franchise system and a very strong franchise model.” Cil also said that the company was working with its franchisees on a case-by-case basis to determine whether to provide aid. Burger King isn't the only company making changes amid the coronavirus pandemic. Advertisement DoorDash, a restaurant delivery app, recently announced several changes to their policies to limit the amount of contact customers make with restaurant workers and delivery drivers. The company also announced that they would be waiving commission fees for pick-up orders for restaurants already using the service. Get updates on this story from FOX News

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Woodlands program teaches proper recycling habits as industry changes The Woodlands Township has started a new recycling education campaign called "Recycle Right." The effort will see informational fliers attached to recycling carts at all single-family homes in the community explaining what can be recycled and what cannot. less The Woodlands Township has started a new recycling education campaign called "Recycle Right." The effort will see informational fliers attached to recycling carts at all single-family homes in the community ... more Photo: Flier Courtesy/The Woodlands Township / Flier Courtesy/The Woodlands Township Photo: Flier Courtesy/The Woodlands Township / Flier Courtesy/The Woodlands Township Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Woodlands program teaches proper recycling habits as industry changes 1 / 1 Back to Gallery Officials in The Woodlands have announced a new campaign called “Recycle Right,” which is aimed at teaching residents the proper ins and outs of recycling. The program comes at a time when the recycling industry is undergoing an identity crisis and the township has signed a renewal of trash services with Waste Management. The “Recycle Right” campaign was announced to the public by township officials on Feb. 5, with a release being sent out announcing plans to attach informational fliers to residential recycling carts throughout the community from February to April. Each recycling cart at single-family homes in the township will have the informational flier tagged to the cart by township staff who will walk neighborhoods in the community. The goal is to reduce contaminated recyclable materials, which leads to the refuse being sent to a landfill rather than being recycled as many believe, said John Geiger, the manager of environmental services for The Woodlands Township. “This is in direct response to the changing conditions in the changing conditions in the recycling industry brought on by China and other countries and changes in their policies as far as what they are receiving and the quality of recycling materials they are willing to receive from us and other nations,” Geiger said. “They severely restricted those, effectively shutting off a significant market for these commodities. It has essentially driven up the cost of recycling. It put the imperative on a cleaner recycling stream. The cleaner the material going into the recycling facilities, the less costly it is for them to process it.” According to a release, residents will be informed via the fliers on what can be recycled and what should be placed in the general trash; the fliers also include information on what is acceptable recyclables and how to prepare them. The program does not involve inspecting recycling bin content and no analysis or inspections of bins is being done. Geiger said that the campaign is an effort to help educate residents on the inner workings and often unknown elements of recycling, especially after the township signed a new contract for trash services with Waste Management that included a possible financial penalty for a too-high recycled content contamination rate. The contamination of recyclable material is often not understood by the wider public. Under the new contract, the township will face a financial penalty of the recycling contamination rate exceeds 25 percent. During a Dec. 4 presentation, officials said the township has been average about a 22 to 23 percent contamination rate over the past several years, below the threshold. Related: Woodlands to seek options for trash services after learning of proposed rate hike from Waste Management “We’ve seen municipalities across the nation hit hard by all of this. Some have closed their recycling programs, some have scaled them down. We are fortunate here that our program is strong and will continue to be, we don’t see any looming impacts,” Geiger said. “We want to do our part to keep it strong by cleaning up our recycling.” What is described as “contaminated” recyclables cannot be recycled, and are instead placed into a landfill. Products like a red Solo cup cannot be recycled because it is not the correct type of plastic. Other contaminations include greasy pizza boxes, styrofoam, plastic bags, wiring and even coat hangers. Cardboard materials need to be clean, and plastic bottles should be washed out quickly with water. Chunks of food are contaminants, too, and should be removed from any item a resident tries to recycle. A full list of what is acceptable and is not is available online at The Woodlands Township website. Among the items that can be recycled are: aluminum, steel or tin cans; cartons that hold milk, juice or other items like soup; cardboard and other paperboard products; and plastic containers with the icon indicating it is plastic type one through five. “For decades, it was about encouraging people to recycle. well, The Woodlands…we have that message. We have over 90 percent participation in our curbside recycling program, that is fantastic, that is sky high, well above the national average,” he added. “The focus now is not just to do recycling, it is doing it correctly. The ‘Recycle Right’ program is all about telling residents to only put the items in the recycle cart that are supposed (to be in there).” jeff.forward@chron.com

Here are eight key effects of the outbreak has had on the Chinese steel industry, according to the China Iron & Steel Association (Cisa) and steel majors Baowu Steel and Shagang Steel.Baowu Steel's steel orders for March dropped 5% month on month from February, vice general manager Zhang Jingang said.This is especially due to major downstream industries such as building and construction, machinery, automotive, shipbuilding and home appliances delaying their resumption of work, resulting in a sharp drop in steel demand.Many steel mills are yet to fill their order books for March and April production, Cisa said.Chinese finished steel inventories at mills and on the spot market both increased after the holiday due to lower demand and transportation restrictions. The spot market inventory of five major products - rebar, wire rod, hot-rolled coil, cold-rolled coil, plate - in 20...

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The Latest Suggestions About Painless Systems Of Home Security The Latest Suggestions About Painless Systems Of Home Security Blog Article If there's any place that you should feel safe, it's your home. That's why you should do everything possible to make your home the most secure place. This means getting a home security system. It's an investment that will pay off and give you peace of mind. Give this article a read for home security advice. If you are planning to be away for a while it is important to stop your paper delivery and put your mail on hold until you return. Newspapers piled up in your driveway or mail spilling out of your mailbox is a red flag that no one is home, and this leaves you vulnerable to thieves. Do not leave your garage doors open, even if you are currently home. Burglars will try to get in through the garage, and if it is open, they can easily break through the door to your home. Use a keypad that requires a combination to allow access into your house. Keep the area directly alongside your home clear of bushes to eliminate hiding places for intruders. Although having shrubs and ornamental bushes underneath windows and along the sides of your home can be beautiful, they're perfect hiding places for people who are trying to break-in. Keep these potential trouble spots clear, especially in front of and around windows. Changing the locks on your home can be a great way to increase security. Locks should always be changed when buying a new home. There could be numerous people that had copies of the keys, from the real estate agent to the previous owners. Locks should also be changed whenever your keys become lost, or after a break-up in a relationship. If you are planning to have the cable guy or repair man come to your house, refrain from putting notes on the door. This shows burglars that you are not currently home, which will make them more prone to robbing your house. Use phone communication to indicate to your servicemen the details of your whereabouts. Get your garage clean. Homeowners often use their garage for storage, filling it so full that you can no longer fit a car in. Parking your car in the garage can foil potential thieves in several ways. First of all, they will not be able to break into your car. Additionally, when your car is hidden away in the garage, it is harder to track whether you are actually home or not. It's a good idea to have motion sensor lights installed. The lights will be triggered when someone gets too close to the house. Not only will they notify you of movement, they will also deter potential burglars, as thieves want to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Just remember to change out the bulbs every so often so the lights remain in working order. When doing yard work or fixes on the outside of your home, be sure to put ladders and tools away when you are done. If you keep out ladders, thieves can easily climb them to get into your home. At the same time, they could use tools, like hammers, to break your windows. If your alarm goes off frequently, get it fixed as soon as possible. If your neighbors think your alarm is always going off, they are unlikely to report it to the police. That means it could be a real break in, but no one will actually do anything about it. Sadly, there is no one home exempt from threats. Luckily, there are measures that can be taken to keep your home as safe as possible. This article has several great home security tips. Use them in order to protect your house. Do What It Takes To Keep Your Home Safe And Sound If you are concerned about the security of your home, you should be! You never know when a burglar will target your home. The tips in this article can help you fortify your home against invaders and threats.When you move into a new home change all the locks. Even though the previous homeowner may have given you keys to the house, there might be a key out there that someone has. To be sure you are as safe as possible, get all new locks for your new house.Have your home always look occupied. Timers can be used to turn lights and televisions on and off when required. This will make your home appear as if someone is there. This is just one of the many precautions you can take to secure your home.Home security systems offer other triggering features besides having an alarm sound. Most security systems can facilitate alarm sounds anyone enters. This can be valuable to parents with small children as they are made aware their child has opened or closed a door.Get to know your neighbors. Your neighbors are a valuable resource that can help keep an eye on your home when you cannot. When neighbors watch out for each other, you can be alerted if anything suspicious is occurring. Keep an ear out for neighborhood gossip too! If you hear about houses in your area being broken into, it might be time to step up security.Don't post online when you'll be away from your home. While these platforms are there for sharing, this is announcing to the world that your home is an open target.Make sure to unplug all of the appliances that can cause a fire hazard after you are done with them. Irons, stoves and toasters should all be unplugged, as electricity can flow at a very high rate if left plugged in. This can prevent a fire or electrocution in your house.Pretend you are a burglar. By taking on the role of an intruder, you can check for vulnerable areas around your property. Really think hard about ways you would get into your home if you were a criminal. Check the garage as well as sheds or other places you keep valuable possessions.Instead of thinking that the only way to secure your home is installing an expensive home security system, educate yourself about other options. Simply putting large, muddy boots on the front porch or installing more locks in the door can help. Remember these tips so you can create a safer home. Report this page

Ideas To Help You Understand All About Baseball Ideas To Help You Understand All About Baseball Blog Article Baseball is a activity cherished by numerous people all around the world. Whether you're merely a everyday lover or a veteran expert, there's constantly more to discover the overall game. This information has a number of tips that can be gratifying regardless of what level of the game you're at. The sort of glove you decide to use is crucial. There are actually hand protection designed for each situation. As an example, a catcher's glove as well as an outfielder's glove vary by size and shape. To ensure you handle the soccer ball in accordance with your position, make sure you are designed with the proper glove. Instruct other individuals to experience baseball. One of the best strategies to know some thing even better is to need to train it to other men and women. Even though you aren't a professional, you realize much more baseball than some others. You may train kids, as an example. Search for strategies to take the joy of baseball for some other individuals, and you'll have a further knowledge of the overall game. Once contact is produced with the golf ball, it is important that the hitter will take off jogging in the direction of initial bottom. This will help be sure that the hitter does not get named out. When the soccer ball is actually a foul tennis ball, the hitter will be referred to as returning to the platter hitting yet again. When the catcher has to see his knees to stop a tennis ball, you should try to rob a base. Every time a catcher goes down on his knee joints, he must scoop the tennis ball up. As soon as the tennis ball hits the soil remove jogging. Usually, you will certainly be rewarded by using a taken bottom. Check the symptoms before you run across the bases. Remember, the bottom coaches have the main benefit of a better look at the whole industry. Make your eyes on the bases instead of the ball when working. Permit them to act as your view. When they inform you to stop, just stay in the basic you're on. When they say manage, sprint at highest speed towards the subsequent foundation. Should you be beginning baseball gamer, attempt to avoid utilizing an uppercut following your swing. It is a golf swing that begins lower and ends higher. First-timers should utilize a levels swing that betters their possibilities at making connection with the soccer ball. When your abilities find more advanced, you could start re-releasing a small amount of the uppercut for many weightlifting motion to get a better swing. Arena lighting fixtures and sun will make it challenging to see the baseball. So that you will don't see locations, you must discover ways to make eye-to-eye contact with the baseball without having looking in the stadium lighting or maybe the sun. Exercise making use of your peripheral sight skills, so that True Sports Fan you can very easily keep your eyeballs on your ball and find it when it comes to you. Don't hesitate to have your standard dirty. Baseball is really a activity played out in grass and dirt. You aren't enjoying to completely when you come out of any video game along with your standard as pristine as it was when you initially use it on. Make it the goal to obtain as unclean as you can. Don't discipline grounders by reaching throughout your system. As an alternative, try and shuffle possibly left or right, getting the gloved fingers located right before the oncoming tennis ball. Normally, the soccer ball may graze the side from the glove whenever you make an effort to catch it. Baseball bats come in a variety of measures, weight loads and styles. Think about your level and strength in choosing a bat. A longer bat offers you more attain, whilst a heavier bat brings power. How big both hands will help you determine the proper size for the bat. Swing a few different baseball bats well before deciding what type feels by far the most secure for you personally. As you may warm-up, exercise sprinting. Sprinting is a crucial exercising to baseball. Every time a golf ball is success, the fast run is down the basic series to first. This speedy sprinting is needed as the ball is chucked quicker than you can actually perhaps manage. One important thing you must think of being a pitcher is the fact that you should observe joggers leading off on basic. This is especially essential when it comes to protecting against next foundation steals and press plays in the home. When you can choose off of a runner which is hoping to get in your thoughts, then you have done your work. Typically, mitts are now created for a particular place. If you normally perform a single position, obtain a adaptable glove personalized for the place. Try on various sizes before you find the one that matches greatest. Make sure the glove is well-crafted from substantial-top quality leather. To properly chuck a knuckleball, use your disposal to have a grip around the baseball's seams. This allows you to discharge a soccer ball without spinning, that allows the golf ball to adhere to the wind flow current although switching and dipping to frustrate that hitter. Your pitch will likely be productive every time a hitter attempts to hit the ball and misses. Don't relocate till the tennis ball is within your mitt to make sure you don't embark on interference being a catcher. When the runner begins to relocate, start to get up a bit. Nevertheless, you don't wish to shift excessive as if the bat helps make exposure to your glove, the mixture is capable to head over to initial basic. Make your baseball cards assortment in plastic material sheets in order to avoid any problems. These allow you to see what's around the credit cards and keep them from the outdoors atmosphere. You must also keep these from light-weight hence they will not reduce. Greeting card which are in mind situation are worth much more. This game of baseball provides for development whatsoever abilities. With practice, persistence, and by using the tips you've just go through on this page, you'll be taking pleasure in and taking part in the video game a lot better than at any time. So get your group together, recall what you've study right here, and you'll be rounding the bases and heading into property quickly in any way!

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Cape Town - After inconsistencies in several high-profile cases, the Premier Soccer League Disciplinary Committee (PSL DC) is struggling to hold onto any sense of credibility as an independent body. With the controversial Nande Becker serving as the PSL's prosecutor, the entire procedure of disciplinary action is in need of an overhaul after shortcomings were highlighted in recent cases. Staggeringly Mamelodi Sundowns were found guilty of fielding the ineligible Wayne Arendse almost six months after the incident took place in a 1-1 draw against Bidvest Wits in October 2018. This meant that even though Sundowns finished the 2018/2019 campaign as champions, they were unsure of their final points total with the threat a points deduction hanging over their heads. Many threw accusations at PSL chairperson Irvin Khoza - who so happens to be the owner of Sundowns' nearest title challengers in Orlando Pirates - of attempts to destabilise Masandawana. Another high-profile case was that of Ajax Cape Town and the inconsistencies of several judgements that also left the club in limbo regarding their Absa Premiership status. In the same case the PSL were comically forced to appeal the decision of its own disciplinary committee. The most recent case involved a public spat between Cape Town City and Becker with CT City boss John Comitis accusing the latter of handling the case of midfielder Mpho Makola in an unprofessional manner. "Becker continued to emotionally and intellectually badger Mpho, who was taken advantage of, " Comitis said. "There was a clear premeditated intention from Nande Becker to ensure that a 12 month ban and R250k fine was placed." Becker was left with egg on his face after the initial six month ban was overturned to a more lenient four-match ban. Currently two cases are still to be finalised involving Gaston Sirino and Bidvest Wits duo Sameeg Doutie and Ricardo Goss. Sirino was charged after hitting two opponents with the Wits players both charged with shoving a match official. The Uruguayan attacker - who has had a string of disciplinary issues - is yet to be handed a decision on his case - a full five months after the incident took place in September 2019. The Wits case with the players facing a similar punishment to Makola has now also been suspended for a further two weeks. Solution The English Football Association regulations for disciplinary action states: - A charge is brought against a participant timeously or at the earliest working day following a match-day weekend. - The charged participant is given a 7-day period to respond in writing to the charge. - A date (taking into consideration a possible postponement) should be determined at the earliest possible date within 10 days. - A hearing take places where all written or verbal evidence is considered by a disciplinary panel. - The decision or any possible sanction is announced immediately after the hearing. The PSL should consider following the above guidelines by the FA when handling future cases to encourage transparency and objectivity. With inconsistencies in the time frame certain cases are handled, this leaves room for corruption or favouritism with not only the decision but also regards to how they are announced. With varying levels of the impact they have on clubs which isn't fair.

Mamelodi Sundowns can still win PSL title without Sirino - Mosimane The Masandawana mentor has questioned Becker as the Tshwane giants await the league to sanction their influential playmaker coach Pitso Mosimane is unhappy with how the disciplinary committee is handling Gaston Sirino's case. The Tshwane giants are awaiting a sanction from the league after the Uruguayan attacking midfielder was found guilty of assault last month. On February 20, the PSL announced that Sirino had been found guilty for assaulting SuperSport United duo of Clayton Daniels and Dean Furman during an MTN8 match earlier this season. More teams However, local football is still waiting for the league to issue a sanction and Mosimane is a concerned man with Sundowns left with nine league matches and a Nedbank Cup semi-final clash with this season. “We might not have Sirino, and you know when these things come – in the last few games then it’s there," Mosimane told the media. "Why doesn’t it happen earlier? But it’s waiting, it’s there, you will see it, it will come." The outspoken tactician went to blame the PSL prosecutor Nande Becker for delaying making a sanction, and he is confident that they can retain the league title even without Sirino. “I don’t know what Nande Becker wants to do. That guy, I don’t know. I don’t want to be in trouble, but let’s leave it to Nande Becker," he added. "Let’s let Masandawana focus – I still think even if Sirino is not there we can still do something." Sundowns are placed second on the standings - four points behind the leaders, - but the former have a game in hand. Article continues below Masandawana were expected to play their game in hand against in Tshwane on Tuesday. However, PSL has suspended the league until further notice due to the spread of the coronavirus.

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Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images The new coronavirus is a respiratory illness, and it typically spreads via airborne droplets from an infected person's coughs or sneezes. Live coronavirus particles can survive for a time on surfaces. It lives longest on polypropylene plastic. New research suggests the virus' life span is anywhere between three hours and three days on surfaces, depending on the material. A graphic shows how long the coronavirus can live on surfaces. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. The new coronavirus is a respiratory illness, which means it typically spreads via airborne droplets. When an infected person coughs or sneezes, droplets carrying viral particles can land on someone else's nose or mouth or get inhaled. But a person can sometimes get the coronavirus if they touch a surface or object that has viral particles on it and then touch their mouth, nose, or eyes. The life span of the virus on a surface depends on myriad factors, including the surrounding temperature, humidity, and type of surface. A study published Tuesday in the New England Journal of Medicine suggested the virus could live up to four hours on copper, up to a day on cardboard, and up to three days on plastic and stainless steel. The coronavirus can also live in the air for up to three hours, the study authors said. How long the coronavirus can survive on surfaces The researchers compared the new coronavirus' life span on surfaces with that of the SARS coronavirus in a 70-degree Fahrenheit room at 40% relative humidity. They found that both coronaviruses lived the longest on stainless steel and polypropylene, a type of plastic used in everything from Tupperware to toys. Both viruses lasted up to three days on plastic, and the new coronavirus lasted up to three days on steel. On cardboard, however, the new coronavirus lasted three times longer than SARS did: 24 hours, compared with eight hours. how long covid 19 can live on common surfaces More Shayanne Gal/Business Insider Temperature and humidity play a big role in how long the virus can survive. A recent study found that an 18-degree Fahrenheit jump, from 68 degrees to 86 degrees, decreased how long SARS lasted on steel surfaces by at least half. New research also found that increases in relative humidity reduce how readily the virus can spread between people. Basically, humidity is how much moisture is in the air, or how clammy your skin feels outside. As relative humidity approaches 100%, sweat less readily evaporates into the air. That mugginess makes it challenging for viral droplets to survive in the air and spread between people. You're unlikely to get the coronavirus from your Amazon package Despite that daylong life span on cardboard, it's unlikely that anyone could contract the new coronavirus from a cardboard box, like those that Amazon delivers. That's because shipping conditions make it difficult for the coronavirus to survive. "We know that viruses are likely to only live a few hours to a few days under the sort of conditions we expose packages to, including shifts in temperature and humidity," Rachel Graham, an epidemiologist at the University of North Carolina, previously told Business Insider. Some coronaviruses, including this new one, have a viral envelope: a fat layer that protects viral particles when they travel from person to person in the air. That sheath can dry out, however, killing the virus. "There is likely very low risk of spread from products or packaging that are shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient temperatures," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Coronavirus may stick around longer than you think — here's what you need to know The new coronavirus, COVID-19, is a pandemic. Reported illnesses range from very mild to severe, including death. Scientists and medical experts anticipate widespread transmission will occur in the U.S. in coming months and recommend social distancing, among other measures, to slow the spread. Call your doctor and stay home if you are sick. Get more information at CDC.gov/coronavirus or call the Tennessee Department of Health coronavirus information line at 877-857-2945 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. EDT daily. Knox News is making this coverage of the coronavirus available to all readers, including nonsubscribers, to help people stay safe. Schools, businesses and restaurants across the country have cut hours or closed entirely for deep cleaning amid the spread of COVID-19. However, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the coronavirus can live on surfaces and in the air for hours, sometimes days. The virus spreads between people who are in close contact with one another through infected droplets, much like the common cold or flu, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Scientists from the CDC, National Institutes of Health, Princeton and UCLA sprayed an aerosol that mimicked the microscopic droplets created when an infected person coughs or sneezes onto surfaces including plastic, stainless steel, cardboard and copper to represent a variety of household and hospital settings. Newsletter: Stay safe and informed with updates on the spread of the coronavirus. Coronavirus: CDC issues information on virus lifespan CDC says coronavirus 'does not spread easily' by touching surfaces or objects. But it still 'may be possible.' USA TODAY How long the coronavirus can be infectious in an experimental setting Plastic: 3 days Stainless steel: 3 days The coronavirus can live on polypropylene, a type of plastic used in everything from Tupperware to toys, and stainless steel for up to three days. Although the CDC has only reported person-to-person transmission of COVID-19, study leader Neeltje van Doremalen at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told the Associated Press that "it’s theoretically possible" that someone can get sick by touching contaminated surfaces. Cardboard: 1 day The COVID-19 virus can be infectious on cardboard for 24 hours. The CDC has said that it is unlikely that the coronavirus can be transmitted from products or packaging that are shipped over a period of days or weeks "because of poor survivability of these coronaviruses on surfaces." Experts say you don't need to be worried about being exposed to coronavirus on boxes delivered by Amazon or on your takeout food bag. Copper: 4 hours The coronavirus can sit on copper surfaces for up to four hours. The virus can live on coins made of copper, like pennies, more often than cash. Rachel Graham, an epidemiologist at the University of North Carolina, told Business Insider that "this shouldn't be a huge concern." Air: 3 hours The findings of this study show that the virus can linger in the air for about three hours. Close contact with people infected with COVID-19 can transmit the virus through respiratory droplets from coughs and sneezes. This is the most common way to spread the coronavirus. Coronavirus: How to clean and disinfect surfaces in your home It's vital to clean surfaces you touch every day amid the coronavirus outbreak. Here are mistakes to avoid. ProblemSolved, USA TODAY How to clean surfaces with coronavirus Preventative methods like cleaning and disinfecting surfaces often helps slow the spread of COVID-19. The CDC recommends putting on disposable gloves before touching anything that could have the virus on it. First, you should clean the surface with soap and water before disinfecting. Then, use a diluted household bleach solution, an alcohol solution with at least 70% alcohol or an EPA-registered household disinfectant to rid the surface of germs. When you're done, immediately throw away the gloves. Do not touch your face or any other surface. Last, wash your hands to make sure that no harmful bacteria are left. Email Allie Clouse at aclouse@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @allie_clouse. If you enjoy Allie's coverage, support strong local journalism by subscribing for full access to all our content on every platform.

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Dynamite Entertainment is taking a major step to help comic book retailers during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, limiting its July slate to six titles and opting to not ship out any planned merchandise. According to a statement released by the publisher, Dynamite plans to only release its best selling titles during July, in order to minimize the commitment on the part of comic book shops and customers. Dynamite also plans to pull its merchandise slated for release in July merchandise entirely, and take any returns customers and retailers might have for the next four weeks. RELATED: Green Hornet Returns in New Series From Dynamite Continue scrolling to keep reading Click the button below to start this article in quick view. The six comics Dynamite will release in July are Vampirella #13, The Boys #4, Red Sonja #18, Sacred Six #3, Bettie Page #2 and Green Hornet #2. The publisher also plans to offer deep discounts to retailers for omnibuses of its series, particularly The Boys -- as the second season its Amazon Prime television adaptation will be premiering around that time. "We are a community -- the Publishers, retailers, creators, distributor, and fans -- together, we will get past this," said Dynamite CEO Nick Barrucci. Dynamite joins the likes of Image Comics and Marvel Comics in the line of publishers attempting to offer relief to comic book stores amidst the pandemic. KEEP READING: Dynamite Will Allow Retailers to Return Product Stock Share Tweet Email Share Two Batman Villains Just Joined Black Lightning's Outsiders

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the comic book industry, several publishers and businesses have stepped in to help retailers who may suffer losses from closing their stores. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is the latest institution to offer support to retailers, compiling several resources and tools to help the comic community. Among these resources is a website that features tips on how to support local comic stores during the crisis, ideas for how retailers can best navigate a state shutdown order and a remote retailing webinar featuring several comic industry pros that offer sales and marketing solutions store retailers can utilize during and even after the crisis to recoup their losses. Continue scrolling to keep reading Click the button below to start this article in quick view. RELATED: Marvel Announces Deep Discounts to Comic Shops During COVID-19 Pandemic “Comic book retailers are the foundation of the comic book industry. They serve as beacons of light in increasingly troubled times, hubs in their communities where people can find the stories that they need. We will continue to do everything we can to support retailers throughout this crisis.” CLBDF's Community Manager Sienna Fallon said in a statement. Other companies reaching out to help retailers during the crisis are Image Comics, Marvel Comics, BOOM! Studios and Dynamite Comics. KEEP READING: BOOM! Announces Full Returnability & More Retailer COVID-19 Relief Programs Share Tweet Email Share Robin: Titans FINALLY Brings an Arrowverse Threat Back to the DC Universe

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A man was shot and killed at the Al Hamra restaurant on 16th Street between Mission and Valencia on Monday afternoon, police said. At around 4:40 p.m., police responded to the shooting and found a man with apparent gunshot wounds to his torso, said San Francisco Police Department spokesman Sgt. Michael Andraychak. The victim was declared dead at the scene. Andraychak did not immediately say whether a suspect was in custody. By 6:45 p.m., 16th Street between Julian and Valencia streets was taped off, as homicide investigators pored over the scene. A truck belonging to the San Francisco Medical Examiner also waited. A gurney went inside the restaurant. One witness, who asked not to be named, said they saw a man shoot inside the restaurant — but could not say the number of shots. This is a breaking story and will be updated if and when more information becomes available.

A road which has collapsed in north Manchester was tonight still being investigated by engineers who are trying to identify the cause. Police raced to Slack Road in Blackley on Monday afternoon after residents reported it was unstable and unsafe. One described it was like a "fairground ride" to drive over shortly before it was closed. Officers blocked the road off at either end over fears it may collapse. And the road surface has now given way and begun to cave in on a stretch in front of the terraced houses north of the junction with Andrew Road. (Image: Manchester Evening News) Pictures from the scene show a bow in the road surface and huge gaping cracks. It has now emerged there has been a leak from a burst water main underneath the road. However a spokeswoman for United Utilities said that currently the burst is not thought to be the cause of the road collapse. She said engineers from both the water company and Manchester City Council highways department were continuing to investigate A spokeswoman for water company United Utilities said: “Our engineers have been sent out to inspect and repair a burst water main on Slack Road in Blackley and are working hard to get everything back to normal as quickly as they can. "We’re sorry for the inconvenience caused.” The section of road remains fenced off and the road is closed with locals asked to use alternative routes for the time being.

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The decline on Wednesday wipes out yesterday's market gains, which were fueled by President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin announced they're working on a "big" and "bold" legislative package to address the coronavirus crisis. Mnuchin added that the administration is "looking at sending checks to Americans immediately." That bounce followed Monday's rout that marked Wall Street's worst day since the epic "Black Monday" crash in 1987. While it's unclear how long the coronavirus pandemic will last, President Trump earlier this week said it could go on through July or August. In the short-term, economists say the damage could be deep, leading to job losses, a spike in unemployment and a decline in GDP. "Attention is understandably focused on limiting the damage from the short-term effects of the coronavirus outbreak," Oxford Economics said in a Wednesday note. "But it's likely that, once disruption and uncertainty fade, the rebound in global economic activity will be strong. It's important for firms to position themselves for such a recovery."

Get in line? President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin promised direct payments to Americans, many of whom work in industries like travel and dining, which have all but shut down as citizens self-quarantine to slow the spread of the infectious virus. They also said it will include sweeping measures to bail out industries. Click here for the article. Mnuchin says Trump administration is looking to get cash to Americans ‘immediately’, We’re going big says Trump (From CNBC) “Americans need cash now,” Mnuchin said during a White House press briefing on the administration’s latest efforts to combat the disease. “I mean now in the next two weeks.”

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FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) – Parents, students and Florence One Schools leaders are preparing for the new school calendar that’s been adopted for the 2020-2021 school year. The calendar- billed as a modified year-round model- will have students in the classroom about two weeks earlier in August to make way for more time off throughout the year. The school board approved the calendar for every school in the district last week. “Continuous learning and then some refresh time is going to create an environment where we’re going to see even more growth,” Director of School Improvement Hayley Cagle said. Cagle explained how the district is helping ease the transition to the new schedule. She said daycare will be offered at elementary schools this year during the new break periods. “We wanted to take that into account we wanted to be fair,” Cagle said. “So those students will have a daycare at school during the fall and the spring intercession. And this year that will be offered free.” The district will also be lenient with parents and staff who had already booked plans in August. “The first two weeks of August when we’re going to be coming in- we don’t normally come back then,” Cagle began. “We have agreed to excuse those days if they already have them booked.” Spencer Scott heads up the non-profit group First Steps for Marion and Florence Counties. He’s been in touch with daycares, which he says are planning for the new schedule. “We have spoken with our child care providers and they’re excited about it as well because it will give them the opportunity to have the kids during that time frame,” Scott said. “They are saying we’re gonna be ready during those days.” Some parents remain on the fence. “I’m for it and against it,” Vonnie McDonald said. She has an eighth grade son in the district. “High schoolers not being able to get a small time job during the summer to have that experience out in the real world.” The district says the new system will make better use of classroom time and ease burnout on both teachers and students. “I really hope once they get in the schedule and they see how it plays out they’re going to realize they do like the schedule and their students like the schedule,” Cagle said. “And that we are doing whatever we can to help their students learn and grow.” You can view the schedule here: Latest Headlines

FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) – Changes could be coming to Florence One Schools’ schedule. The district is considering adopting a ‘modified schedule,’ which would shave off between two and three weeks of summer vacation in favor of more time off throughout the year. “We want to maximize that classroom instructional time by planning a schedule that will fit around our quarters and our semesters,” Director of School Improvement Hayley Cagle said. “We are looking to do whatever we can to motivate our students, to motivate our teachers.” The preliminary plan would have two week break periods for every 45 days, Cagle explained. The time off may be spread out in the fall to accommodate sports schedules. “We know teacher burnout is a problem,” Cagle said. “We know student burnout is a problem. And when teachers and students are able to have that instructional time and then have a time of rest… We feel they’re looking at that as a positive and that will assist them and us moving forward.” The school year would still last 180 days for students and 190 days for teachers. The time of day school is scheduled for would not change, either. The district sent out a survey last week that Cagle said showed favorable results from stakeholders and staff members. She said 83 percent of staff were interested in learning more and 73% of stakeholders responded favorably. Some on social media criticized the survey because stakeholders could cast multiple submissions. Cagle said the district stood behind the integrity of the survey. The idea was inspired by Timrod Elementary, which has been using a modified schedule since 2015. The school’s principal says since then she’s seen a drop in disciplinary issues, an increase in student achievement, among other perks. “Before we moved to the modified calendar, we had a hard time recruiting teachers,” Principal Michelle McBride said. “Now we have an overwhelming amount of teachers who want to come to Timrod because of our new schedule.” She said the schedule has worked well for the school. “We have fully embraced our calendar and we can’t see ourselves going back to a regular calendar because we’ve had so much success on the modified calendar,” she said. The schedule could go into effect as soon as the 2020-2021 school year for the entire district. A final decision is expected to be made at the next board meeting. Count on News13 for updates. LATEST HEADLINES: