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Canada's first contact tracing app launched as economy slowly reopens

2020-05-03T01:50:00.003-07:00

Once a person with the app becomes infected, Alberta Health Services will ask the person to upload encrypted data that will allow tracing workers to reach others who have been in close contact.

Canada's prime minister Justin Trudeau listens to minister of public safety and emergency preparedness Bill Blair during a news conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on 1 May 2020 | Reuters

The Canadian province of Alberta on Friday launched the country's first phone app to trace contacts of people infected with the coronavirus, as the country slowly restarts its economy.
Increased testing and contact tracing are key parts of plans to reopen economies that have largely closed to slow the pandemic's spread, with no proven vaccine or treatment available.

No geo-location data is collected, and data about encounters are stored encrypted on phones

Alberta's voluntary app, called ABTraceTogether, uses Bluetooth wireless technology to identify phones, which also have the app installed, that have come into 2-metre contact with an infected person for at least 15 minutes within a 24-hour period.
Once a person with the app becomes infected, Alberta Health Services will ask the person to upload encrypted data that will allow tracing workers to reach others who have been in close contact.

No geo-location data is collected, and data about encounters are stored encrypted on phones.
"The faster Alberta Health Services contact tracers can inform exposed people who were close contacts, the quicker we will be able to prevent potential outbreaks," Alberta's chief medical officer of health Deena Hinshaw said.
Alberta became the latest province this week to announce a phased plan to reopen services and businesses.
Prime minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday said it would be important to ensure privacy and data security are balanced with the need for more information on the virus' spread. He said there are multiple proposals in development that might apply to Canada.
Privacy advocates in Britain have urged the government to prevent a soon-to-be-launched app from turning into a form of state surveillance.

Alberta has the third-highest case count in Canada – 10 per cent of the national total - and one of Canada's most aggressive testing programmes. Many of its cases are due to outbreaks in meat plants and nursing homes.
Ontario, the most populous province, is looking at options for apps, provincial Health Minister Christine Elliot told reporters.
Canada's death toll rose less than 5 per cent on Friday to 3,223 deaths, while cases climbed to nearly 54,000, as daily numbers continue to flatten.
The province of Quebec, the country’s virus epicentre, said it has started ramping up testing ahead of a plan to begin reopening businesses and schools this month. Testing will prioritise hospital patients with symptoms, health-care workers, nursing home staff and residents, Quebec public health director Horacio Arruda said.
“The more we test, the more we find,” he told reporters.

COVID-19 : Coronavirus Pandemic

2020-04-10T01:00:00.002-07:00

3D Photo: COVID-19

Coronavirus Cases:

1,607,595

Deaths:

95,785

Recovered:

357,164

Active Cases

1,154,646

Currently Infected Patients

1,105,509 (96%)

in Mild Condition

49,137 (4%)

Serious or Critical

Closed Cases
452,949
Cases which had an outcome

357,164(79%)
Recovered / Discharged

95,785(21%)

Deaths

source: www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/?#countries

Bangladesh Corona virus Update: Coronavirus spreads, 3 more die, 35 infected

2020-04-06T05:43:00.001-07:00

3D medical animation corona virus

Director general of health directorate Abul Kalam Azad, at a regular briefing on Monday said coronavirus is no longer confined to any particular place and it is spreading out.
He said samples of 468 people have been tested in the last 24 hours and a total of 4,011 people have been tested for the COVID-19 in the country so far.

Meanwhile, the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) has revised the death toll from coronavirus to three from four. The total number of recorded deaths now stands at 12.
The institute said 35 persons have been newly infected with the deadly virus, taking the total cases up to 123 in Bangladesh.
IEDCR director Meerjady Sabrina revised the toll through a video conference on Monday hours after health minister Zahid Maleque’s briefing.

Just hours back, addressing a meeting on coronavirus with Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons, the health minister had said four more people died of COVID-19 and 29 infected newly in the last 24 hours.
The IEDCR director said the number of infected persons and deaths have been published coordinating the tests results received from different tests centres across the country.

The number of infected persons in Bangladesh is increasing steadily. As of Sunday the number of newly diagnosed patients was 18 and a day before it was 9. The number has climbed to 35 in the last 24 hours.
Briefing the media, Meerjady Sabrina said among those who have newly contracted the virus, 30 are men and five are women. And 11 of them are aged between 41 and 50.
The number of recovered patients remains 33 as no one has recovered in the last 24 hours.
Meanwhile, on Monday a director of the Anti-Corruption Commission died of coronavirus. Rezaul Alam, personal secretary to the state minister of public administration, confirmed this to Prothom Alo this morning.

Life found in rocks beneath the ocean floor give scientists hope of finding life on Mars

2020-04-02T02:41:00.002-07:00

When scientists find microbial life thriving in some of the most extreme environments on Earth, it gives them hope that they may be able to find life on other planets.

Now, researchers have discovered billions of bacteria living in tiny cracks in volcanic rocks beneath the ocean floor, more than nine miles below the surface of the ocean and an additional 300 feet below the ocean floor, according to a new study published Thursday.

And they believe that similar tiny, clay-filled cracks in rocks on Mars or below its surface could be a similar hub for life.

The upper oceanic crust, known as the ocean floor, has been continuously created on Earth for about 3.8 billion years. Underwater volcanoes release lava at 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit that solidifies into basaltic rock as the hot rock reacts to the cold ocean depths.

Hydrothermal vents along the ocean floor have been known to sustain bacteria and other life that convert minerals into energy, rather than light.

Previously, researchers have studied bacteria systems that were between 3.5 and 8 million years old. But 90% of the ocean floor is much older than that.

Yohey Suzuki, an associate professor in the University of Tokyo's Department of Earth and Planetary Science, and his colleagues investigated samples of basaltic lava found 328 feet below the ocean floor between Tahiti and New Zealand that ranged from 33 to 104 million years old.

There, they found a wealth of single-celled microbial life living in tiny cracks among the rock, which were rich with iron and clay. To be exact, they estimate that 10 billion bacterial cells live per cubic centimeter in these communities. (Bacteria known to live in mud along the seafloor pales in comparison, at 100 cells per cubic centimeter.)

Bacteria live densely packed into tunnels of clay minerals found in this sample of solid rock.

The researchers believe the iron content in the clay found deep below the ocean floor supports the growth of such large bacterial communities. The study published in the journal Communications Biology.

"I thought it was a dream, seeing such rich microbial life in rocks," Suzuki said, "I am now almost over-expecting that I can find life on Mars. If not, it must be that life relies on some other process that Mars does not have, like plate tectonics."

Coronavirus: US death toll exceeds 5,000

2020-04-02T02:27:00.002-07:00

There were 884 deaths in the US in 24 hours, a new record, according to Johns Hopkins University, which has tracked virus figures globally.
The latest victims include a six-week-old baby. More than 216,000 are now infected, the world's highest figure.

New York City is the worst-hit place in the US

Reserves of protective equipment and medical supplies are almost exhausted.
This has left the federal government and individual US states competing for safety gear, while the unprecedented demand has led to profiteering, officials in the Department for Homeland Security were quoted by the Washington Post as saying.

The Trump administration says it can acquire adequate supplies, and has $16bn (£13bn) available to do so. State and local officials have complained about insufficient protective equipment such as masks and gowns as well as ventilators, needed to help keep patients breathing.

Meanwhile, US Vice-President Mike Pence warned the US appeared to be on a similar trajectory as Italy where the death toll has exceeded 13,000 - the worst in the world.
The number of confirmed infections across the US rose by more than 25,000 in one day. The worst-hit place is New York City, where nearly 47,500 people have tested positive and more than 1,300 have died.
Officials say as many as 240,000 people could die in the US from Covid-19 - the disease caused by the virus - even with the mitigation measures in place. In Connecticut, a six-week-old baby has died from coronavirus, believed to be America's youngest victim of the virus so far.

First Federal Inmate Tests Positive For Coronavirus In NYC

2020-03-23T00:02:00.001-07:00

First Federal Inmate Tests Positive For Coronavirus In NYC

The federal bureau of Prisons announced that the first federal inmate tested positive for coronavirus. According to the agency, the inmate remains in isolation at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. Inmates that were near the COVID-19 positive prisoner have been quarantined.

First confirmed case of coronavirus in federal prison reported

2020-03-21T19:21:00.003-07:00

First confirmed case of coronavirus in federal prison reported

An inmate at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, has tested positive for coronavirus. The inmate is the the first confirmed case in the federal prison system.
"The inmate arrived at MDC Brooklyn on March 16, 2020," the Federal Bureau of Prisons' office of public affairs said in a statement Saturday. "On March 19, 2020, he complained of chest pains and was taken to an outside hospital, where they performed a test for COVID-19. On March 20, 2020, he was discharged back to MDC Brooklyn and immediately placed in isolation. Today, the BOP was notified his test results for COVID-19 were positive."
The inmate is still in isolation and "all CDC guidelines are being followed," according to BOP. The other inmates who were being housed with the patient are being quarantined.
Two staff members at MDC have also tested positive for coronavirus.

Coronavirus updates: Coronavirus cases top 300,000 worldwide

2020-03-21T19:16:00.000-07:00

Coronavirus cases top 300,000 worldwide

The number of coronavirus cases worldwide reached at least 303,180 on Saturday as Italy hit a grim milestone by recording record-breaking death tolls two days in a row. In the U.S., the Senate adjourned without voting on the coronavirus relief package, setting the stage for a possible vote on Monday.
Senators continued negotiations over the weekend on the expansive stimulus package. The finalized measure is expected to cost between $1 trillion and $2 trillion, according to Trump administration officials.
New York state surpassed 10,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with more than 6,000 in New York City. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Saturday that Manhattan's Javits Center tops his list of locations to be turned into field hospitals to test and possibly treat cases of COVID-19 infections.
Meanwhile, the superintendent of schools in New Rochelle, the hotspot of the New York outbreak, said she tested positive for coronavirus.
On Saturday, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy joined other states in directing all residents to stay home. California residents have been ordered to remain in their homes as much as possible, barring some essential exceptions. In New York and Illinois, similar orders are going into effect this weekend.
There are over 24,000 confirmed cases in the United States, and more than 300 have died.

Read: "Very difficult to predict" how long "stay-at-home" orders will last, Dr. Fauci says
Read: What to do if you think you were exposed to the virus
Read: Your top questions about coronavirus answered

WHO suggests Bangladesh to impose lockdown

2020-03-21T10:09:00.003-07:00

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Saturday suggested that Bangladesh can go for a social-distancing measure like partial or complete lockdown of the country to effectively combat the coronavirus, reports UNB.
A WHO team, led by its representative to Bangladesh Bardan Jung Rana, gave the suggestion during a meeting with Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) mayor Sayeed Khokon at his Banani residence.
Talking to UNB, Khokon said WHO thinks the coronavirus situation in Bangladesh may take a serious turn in the days to come if urgent actions are not taken.

WHO suggests Bangladesh to impose lockdown

The WHO delegation told us that some coronavirus-affected countries have chosen partial or complete lockdown or state of emergency to tackle the situation. All of them got good results as the number of fresh cases has dropped drastically in those countries after taking such steps.

"The WHO delegation told us that some coronavirus-affected countries have chosen partial or complete lockdown or state of emergency to tackle the situation. All of them got good results as the number of fresh cases has dropped drastically in those countries after taking such steps," he said.

The DSCC mayor said the WHO thinks such a measure of social distancing can be effective in Bangladesh to overcome the coronavirus, but it is a matter of policy decision.
He said they wanted to know from the WHO team about how to deal with the corona patients by the health service providers.

"They briefed us about it elaborately."
The mayor said the government is taking all the necessary measures to prevent the corona outbreak, but the citizens also must be alert and cooperate with the government in this regard.

Earlier in the day, health minister Zahid Maleque confirmed the second death from coronavirus in the country.

He also said four more people were diagnosed with coronavirus in the country, taking the total number of such cases in the country to 24.
The minister said 50 people are in institutional quarantine and around 14,000 people are home-quarantined across the country," he said.

Bangladesh reported the country's first death from coronavirus on 18 March.
On 8 March, the IEDCR announced for the first time the detection of three COVID-19 patients in Bangladesh

Bangladesh Marks Founding Father’s 100th Anniversary

2020-03-17T00:25:00.005-07:00

The Hotel InterContinental Dhaka is lit up to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, March 15, 2020.

Bangladesh kicks off a 375-day mega-year marking the centennial of its founder’s birth on Tuesday, with some initial festivities scaled back because of the global coronavirus pandemic.
The commemoration begins on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s 100th birthday, March 17, and is set to continue through March 26, 2021, the 50th anniversary of the country’s independence.
Early Tuesday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and President Abdul Hamid were scheduled to place wreaths on Mujib’s grave, about two hours’ drive north of Dhaka.
“They will take part in the prayers there and return to Dhaka the same day,” Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury told reporters on Monday.
After the wreath ceremony, Hasina was to release commemorative coins and stamps from her residence on Tuesday afternoon.
A fireworks display Tuesday evening was to be broadcast live from Racecourse Maiden, a stadium where on March 7, 1971, Mujib delivered a speech declaring Bangladesh’s independence from what was then East Pakistan.
A lifelong politician, Mujib had long campaigned for the rights of the people of what is now Bangladesh – starting as a student leader in 1940 when it was still part of the British Empire. As a result, he spent 11 years in jail, according to official accounts of his life.
On March 26, 1971, he was again arrested by the Pakistani Army and taken off to Pakistan, where he remained behind bars for the rest of the nine-month war of independence.
In 1972, he returned to Bangladesh and took the helm of the new nation but was assassinated along with most of his family on Aug. 15, 1975, by mid-level army officers.
Sheikh Hasina, his eldest daughter, was out of the country at the time, along with one of her sisters. Now 72, she is Bangladesh’s longest-ruling prime minister.
Chowdhury, the chief coordinator of the committee organizing the events, said programs planned this month at schools across the nation would not be held as the government ordered them closed to help limit the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A grand public ceremony and exhibitions of art and documents representing Bangladesh’s history in various parts of the country are now on hold.
Bangladesh on Monday confirmed eight coronavirus cases and has been following guidance of the World Health Organization and other health experts to avoid mass gatherings.
“We’ll hold the Mujib Year programs by rearranging the schedule and we’ll conduct the programs across the country accordingly,” Chowdhury said.


Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, leader of the Awami League, which seeks greater autonomy for East Pakistan, talks with followers in his home in Dhaka, March 14, 1971. (AP)

Cost questions

Critics have complained that Hasina’s Awami League government has not released complete details about the cost of celebration.
After allotting 1 billion taka (U.S. $11.76 million) for Mujib Year, the government requested an additional 1 billion taka in public funds in January – then solicited private donations in a statement released by the cabinet this month.
On Monday, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) called for all expenditures to be made public.
“A high standard of transparency and accountability should be ensured, including voluntarily publishing information on already-spent funds by the government and the use of those funds and transactions related to celebrating the Mujib Year,” TIB said.
"The information should be posted on a website and in other easily accessible media for ordinary people,” it said.
It also questioned the request for private funding.
“Direct or indirect force should not be imposed by any political party, their allies, private institutions, non-government or any civil society organizations to collect funds to celebrate Mujib Year programs,” TIB said.

No invite

Meanwhile, an opposition leader complained that opposition parties had not been invited by the ruling Awami League to participate in the centennial, during which buildings and organizations across Bangladesh are displaying a government-issued logo and image of the founding father.
“The Awami League should have invited all parties, at least the major political parties, to get involved in the celebration program,” said Mahmudur Rahman Manna, a former leader of the ruling Awami League who now heads the Citizens Unity party.

“I do not see any justification of celebrating Bangabandhu’s birth centenary in such a way,” Manna said, using a widely used Bengali term that honors Mujib.

Citizens Unity is part of a cluster of opposition parties that hold no seats in parliament in a country that some critics say is becoming increasingly authoritarian.
Awami League official Shajahan Khan said the party did invite some opposition political parties to participate in the celebration.
“We have not invited the parties who do not believe in the independence of Bangladesh,” he told BenarNews.

“The parties like Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and those with similar ideologies do not recognize Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as the father of the nation and his role in the War of Independence,” Khan said.

Manna, meanwhile, said the Awami League had been working against the spirit of those who fought for Bangladesh’s freedom.

“There is the Digital Security Act where government officials can jail a person for up to 10 years if they think any comments are criticizing the government. This law is an impediment to guaranteeing freedom of expression and free thought,” he said.

“And this is not the spirit of the War of Independence.”

Americans prepare for a weekend at home as government declares coronavirus emergency

2020-03-14T08:33:00.000-07:00

(CNN)-Americans are waking up to a country under a national emergency.

In many neighborhoods, grocery shelves will be empty. International travel is now heavily restricted. Some church services may be canceled or livestreamed this weekend. There won't be NBA, golf or soccer games to watch. Broadway shows have halted, too. And in many states, mass gatherings are outright banned.

Every state except West Virginia has reported positive tests, with more than 2,200 cases across America. At least 49 people have died: 37 in Washington state, which now reports at least 568 cases; five in California, two in Florida, one in Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, New Jersey and South Dakota.

Earlier this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) labeled the virus a pandemic, with global cases now topping 142,000.

Add caption

"We cannot say this loudly enough, or clearly enough, or often enough: all countries can still change the course of this pandemic," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday.

President Donald Trump declared the national emergency Friday, freeing up $50 billion in federal resources to combat the outbreaks.

"No resource will be spared, nothing whatsoever," he said.

Millions more tests available, Trump says

Trump's announcement came nearly two days after he said he was banning travel from Europe, a restriction his administration later clarified would apply only to foreign nationals and not to American citizens who had been screened prior to entering the US. The ban went into effect yesterday.

In further efforts to curb the spread of the virus, the Trump administration said Friday it was partnering with the private sector to also boost testing capacity -- with both more tests and a new method of drive-through testing.

The country's testing system has so far received stark criticism by health officials and residents who say they were turned away despite showing symptoms. Dr. Anthony Fauci, with the National Institutes of Health, said earlier this week the US testing system was failing to meet the public's needs.

"The idea of anybody getting it (a test) easily, the way people in other countries are doing it, we're not set up for that," he told a congressional committee Thursday. "Do I think we should be? Yes, but we're not."

On Friday, Trump said 5 million coronavirus tests would be available within a month, adding American retail executives would be donating resources to facilitate drive-through testing across the country. But those companies later said they had few details on what they could offer or when test kits would be available.

Meanwhile, facilities in New York, Illinois and Colorado have begun offering drive-through testing.

"Drive through testing means people in this community can call a telephone number, make an appointment and then can come to be tested and literally drive through the testing facilities," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. "it's not only faster and easier, it's also smarter and safer because you're not exposing people who may be positive."

Trump: We will suspend travel from Europe to US for the next 30 days

2020-03-12T01:12:00.002-07:00

President Trump addresses the nation from Oval Office calling on Congress for an increase in budget, pay roll tax relief, and a 30-day travel ban Europe. FOX News operates the FOX News Channel (FNC), FOX Business Network (FBN), FOX News Radio, FOX News Headlines 24/7, FOXNews.com and the direct-to-consumer streaming service, FOX Nation. FOX News also produces FOX News Sunday on FOX Broadcasting Company and FOX News Edge. A top five-cable network, FNC has been the most watched news channel in the country for 17 consecutive years. According to a 2018 Research Intelligencer study by Brand Keys, FOX News ranks as the second most trusted television brand in the country. Additionally, a Suffolk University/USA Today survey states Fox News is the most trusted source for television news or commentary in the country, while a 2017 Gallup/Knight Foundation survey found that among Americans who could name an objective news source, FOX News is the top-cited outlet. FNC is available in nearly 90 million homes and dominates the cable news landscape while routinely notching the top ten programs in the genre.
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Basic protective measures against the new coronavirus

2020-03-11T09:56:00.000-07:00

Basic protective measures against the new coronavirus

Stay aware of the latest information on the COVID-19 outbreak, available on the WHO website and through your national and local public health authority. COVID-19 is still affecting mostly people in China with some outbreaks in other countries. Most people who become infected experience mild illness and recover, but it can be more severe for others.

Wash your hands frequently

Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water.
Why? Washing your hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand rub kills viruses that may be on your hands.

Maintain social distancing

Maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
Why? When someone coughs or sneezes they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain virus. If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets, including the COVID-19 virus if the person coughing has the disease.

Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth

Why? Hands touch many surfaces and can pick up viruses. Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth. From there, the virus can enter your body and can make you sick.

Practice respiratory hygiene

Make sure you, and the people around you, follow good respiratory hygiene. This means covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately.
Why? Droplets spread virus. By following good respiratory hygiene you protect the people around you from viruses such as cold, flu and COVID-19.

If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical care early

Stay home if you feel unwell. If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention and call in advance. Follow the directions of your local health authority.
Why? National and local authorities will have the most up to date information on the situation in your area. Calling in advance will allow your health care provider to quickly direct you to the right health facility. This will also protect you and help prevent spread of viruses and other infections.

Stay informed and follow advice given by your healthcare provider

Stay informed on the latest developments about COVID-19. Follow advice given by your healthcare provider, your national and local public health authority or your employer on how to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.
Why? National and local authorities will have the most up to date information on whether COVID-19 is spreading in your area. They are best placed to advise on what people in your area should be doing to protect themselves.

Protection measures for persons who are in or have recently visited (past 14 days) areas where COVID-19 is spreading

Follow the guidance outlined above.

Stay at home if you begin to feel unwell, even with mild symptoms such as headache and slight runny nose, until you recover. Why? Avoiding contact with others and visits to medical facilities will allow these facilities to operate more effectively and help protect you and others from possible COVID-19 and other viruses.

If you develop fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical advice promptly as this may be due to a respiratory infection or other serious condition. Call in advance and tell your provider of any recent travel or contact with travelers. Why? Calling in advance will allow your health care provider to quickly direct you to the right health facility. This will also help to prevent possible spread of COVID-19 and other viruses.

Researcher discovers huge flaw with anthropometry, the measurement of facial features from images

2020-03-01T00:15:00.003-08:00

University of Huddersfield lecturer Dr. Eilidh Noyes was among world-leading experts in the science of face recognition who assembled in Australia for a conference that will lead to policy recommendations designed to aid police, governments, the legal system and border control agencies.

Taking place at the University of New South Wales, which is home to an Unfamiliar Face Identification Group (UFIG), the conference brought together academic experts in psychology, computer science and law plus policy makers and practitioners in police and government. Their aim was to work out how to define expertise in face recognition.

The distance between features of a face varies as a result of the camera

"Accurate face identification is crucial in many police investigations and border security scenarios," said Dr. Noyes, a specialist in the field who was one of 20 global academic experts invited to attend the conference, titled Evaluating face recognition expertise: Turning theory into best practice.
"People are very good at recognizing the faces of their friends and family—people who they know well—across different images. However, the science tells us that when we don't know the person/people in the image(s), face matching is actually very difficult," said Dr. Noyes, who lectures in Cognitive Psychology at Huddersfield.

Face identification algorithms have made huge strides in accuracy in recent years, with the latest algorithms outperforming humans in a recent comparison of human and machine performance. Algorithms can play an important role in the identification process, she continued.
"We need to define what it means to be a face identification expert in this day and age. Is it a human? Is it an algorithm? Is it some combination of them both?"

Dr. Noyes' conferenced paper was based on research she carried out with Dr. Rob Jenkins, University of York, on the effect of camera-to-subject distance on face recognition performance and was the subject of an article published by the international journal Cognition.
"The distance from which a photograph is taken affects the appearance of the face in the image," explained Dr. Noyes.

"Faces appear flatter when photographed from afar, and more convex at a reduced distance. That has profound consequences for facial comparisons across multiple images.
"Images of the same person can look very different if they are taken at two different distances, whereas images of different people can appear more similar if the camera-subject distance is manipulated," she added.

Trump says coronavirus is no big deal after first death in US

2020-03-01T00:00:00.004-08:00

AP, Washington

Seeking to reassure the American public, President Donald Trump said Saturday there was "no reason to panic" as the new coronavirus claimed its first victim inside the US. The White House also announced new restrictions on international travel to prevent its spread.

President Donald Trump speaks in the press briefing room at the White House, Saturday, February 29, 2020, in Washington. Photo: AP/Andrew Harnik

Trump, speaking only moments after the death in Washington state was announced, took a more measured approach a day after he complained that the virus threat was being overblown and that his political enemies were perpetuating a "hoax."

"This is very serious stuff," he said, but still insisted the criticism of his administration's handling of the virus outbreak was a hoax.
Trump appeared at a hastily called news conference in the White House briefing room with Vice President Mike Pence and top public health officials to announce that the U.S. was banning travel to Iran and urging Americans not to travel to regions of Italy and South Korea where the virus has been prevalent.
He said 22 people in the US had been stricken by the new coronavirus, of whom one had died while four were deemed "very ill." Additional cases were "likely," he added.
Trump said he was considering additional restrictions, including closing the U.S. border with Mexico in response to the virus' spread, but later added: "This is not a border that seems to be much of a problem right now."
"We're thinking about all borders," he said.
Travel to Iran is already quite limited, though some families are allowed to travel there on a visa. It is one of the seven initial countries on Trump's travel ban list, which means travel from Iran also is already severely restricted.
Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said there was "no evidence of link to travel" abroad in the case of the man who died. The patient was described as being in his late 50s and having a high health risk before contracting the virus. Redfield said the CDC mistakenly told Trump in an earlier briefing that the victim was a woman.
On Friday, health officials confirmed a third case of coronavirus in the US in a person who hadn't traveled internationally or had close contact with anyone who was known to have the virus. The U.S. has about 60 confirmed cases. Trump's tally appeared to exclude cases of Americans repatriated from China or evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship.
The Washington case was the first death in US but not first American to die: A 60-year-old U.S. citizen died in Wuhan in early February.
Trump said healthy Americans should be able to recover if they contract the new virus, as he tried to reassure Americans and global markets spooked by the virus threat.
He encouraged Americans not to alter their daily routines, saying the country is "super prepared" for a wider outbreak, adding "there's no reason to panic at all."
He added he wasn't altering his own routine either. "You're talking about 22 people right now in this whole very vast country. I think we'll be in very good shape."
The president also said he would be meeting with pharmaceutical companies at the White House on Monday to discuss efforts to develop a vaccine to counter the virus.
Trump spoke a day after he had denounced criticism of his response to the threat as a "hoax" cooked up by his political enemies. Speaking at a rally in South Carolina he accused Democrats of "politicizing" the coronavirus threat and boasted about preventive steps he's ordered in an attempt to keep the virus that originated in China from spreading across the United States. Those steps include barring entry by most foreign nationals who had recently visited China.
"They tried the impeachment hoax. ... This is their new hoax," Trump said of Democratic denunciations of his administration's coronavirus response.
Trump said Saturday he was not trying to minimize the threat of the virus.
"Again, the hoax was used in respect to Democrats and what they were saying," he said.
Some Democrats have said Trump should have acted sooner to bolster the US response to the virus. Democratic and Republican lawmakers also have said his request for an additional $2.5 billion to defend against the virus isn't enough. They've signaled they will provide substantially more funding.
Trump said Democrats want him to fail and argued that steps he's taken so far have kept cases to a minimum and prevented virus deaths in the US.
On Saturday, Democratic challenger Joe Biden hit back, saying Trump's use of the word "hoax" when discussing the virus was "absolutely dangerous." Democratic candidate Pete Buttigieg told NBC he was particularly disturbed to hear the word used because "our lives depend on the wisdom and the judgment of the president at a time like this."
But Trump defended his language and emphasized he was not referring to the virus as a hoax, saying that his description referred to "the action that they take to try and pin this on somebody because we've done such a good job."
As global markets plunged this week, Trump predicted they will come back, and encouraged the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates.
"The markets will all come back," he said. "I think the Fed has a very important role, especially psychological. If you look at it, the Fed has a massive impact."

Without making a show of it, Tim Southee has Virat Kohli’s number

2020-02-29T11:03:00.002-08:00

Unlike Trent Boult, his trusted accomplice, Tim Southee hardly does theatre. Boult, in his follow-through, is almost within a touching distance of the batsman; he appeals vociferously, celebrates wickets with vein-popping fist-pumps. Contrastingly, Southee’s follow-through is standard, his appeals are apologetic and celebrations not over the board.
Like when he nailed Virat Kohli in front of the wicket with a supreme exhibition of cerebral bowling. The appeal was a quiet query, the celebrations that followed were not frantic. A sheepish grin, handshakes, and reluctant hugs. As Boult himself put it cheekily: “He needs to take a course on celebrating wickets from me.”
Perhaps, he didn’t animatedly celebrate Kohli’s dismissal because he has gotten so accustomed to dismissing one of the most-prized scalps in the world that it has ceased to excite him. A certain kind of boredom has set in. With the latest instance, he has ejected him 10 times across formats, the most success any bowler has enjoyed against the Indian skipper. Thrice in Tests, six times in ODIs and once in T20Is. So much so that he could legitimately claim that he’s Kohli’s kryptonite, he could rightfully brag that he knows how to outwit Kohli.
Southee-Kohli showdowns are not as much as about raw thrill as it’s about the battle of wits. Southee trying to fasten the noose around his neck while the latter trying to wriggle out of it.

মাশরাফি ‘দ্য প্যাট্রিয়ট’

2020-02-29T10:56:00.003-08:00

গলাটা যেন একটু ধরে আসছিল। তবু প্রশ্নগুলোতে চাবুকের ধার। চেহারায় অভিমানের কালো মেঘ। যে প্রশ্নটি মাশরাফি করেননি, মেঘের আড়াল থেকে উঁকি দিচ্ছিল সেটিও—দেশের হয়ে ১৮ বছর ক্রিকেট খেলে এই কি তবে আমার প্রাপ্তি?

সিলেটে বাংলাদেশ দলের অনুশীলনে ফুরফুরে মেজাজে মাশরাফি। ছবি: শামসুল হক

প্রতিটি বাক্য বলে একটু করে থামলেন মাশরাফি বিন মুর্তজা। যেন নিজেকে সামলে নিয়ে পরের কথাটা গুছিয়ে নিচ্ছেন। এক প্রশ্নের জবাবে পাল্টা এল অন্তত চারটি প্রশ্ন। মাশরাফি উত্তরের জন্য অপেক্ষা করেননি কোনোটিরই।

‘আমি কি চোর?’
‘আমার সমালোচনা আপনারা করবেন, সাপোর্টাররা করবে, লজ্জা পেতে হবে কেন? ’
‘আমি কি বাংলাদেশের হয়ে খেলছি নাকি অন্য দেশের হয়ে ক্রিকেট খেলছি, যে আমার লজ্জা পেতে হবে!’
‘আমি কি অন্য দেশের হয়ে খেলছি, নাকি চুরি করছি, চামারি করছি?’
গলাটা যেন একটু ধরে আসছিল। তবু প্রশ্নগুলোতে চাবুকের ধার। চেহারায় অভিমানের কালো মেঘ। যে প্রশ্নটি মাশরাফি করেননি, মেঘের আড়াল থেকে উঁকি দিচ্ছিল সেটিও—দেশের হয়ে ১৮ বছর ক্রিকেট খেলে এই কি তবে আমার প্রাপ্তি?
মাশরাফি, আপনি চোর নন। আপনি চোর হতে যাবেনই বা কেন! দেড় যুগের আন্তর্জাতিক ক্যারিয়ারে বাংলাদেশের ক্রিকেটকে আপনি যা দিয়েছেন, তার সবই হয়তো চোখে দেখা যায়নি বা আজও দেখা যায় না। কিন্তু এই ১৮ বছরে বাংলাদেশের ক্রিকেটের উন্নতির প্রতিটি গাঁথুনিতে আপনার হাতের ছোঁয়া লেগে থাকার কথা দেশের ক্রিকেটকে কাছ থেকে দেখা কেউ অস্বীকার করতে পারবে না। ভবিষ্যতে যদি কেউ তা করেও, বুঝতে হবে বাংলাদেশের ক্রিকেটের ইতিহাসটাই তার কাছে সঠিকভাবে উপস্থাপিত নয়।
আপনি ছিলেন নড়াইলের ডানপিটে ছেলে। নানার বাড়িতে বড় হওয়া সবার অতি আদরের কৌশিক। আপনি গাছ থেকে পড়ে পা ভেঙেছেন। সাঁতরে চিত্রা নদী পার হয়েছেন। সেই দুরন্ত কৈশোরে আপনার দু-একটি চুরির ঘটনা আমরা জানি। আপনি বন্ধুদের নিয়ে একবার ১১ কাঁদি কলা চুরি করেছিলেন। তুলসী ঠাকুরের বাগানবাড়ি থেকে লিচু চুরি করেছেন। এমন চুরি গ্রামবাংলার প্রতিটি কিশোর করে। কিন্তু আপনার ক্ষেত্রে আপনি যত বড় হয়েছেন, আপনার চুরির কথা রূপকথার গল্প হয়েছে। নড়াইলের কিশোর-তরুণদের কাছে সেই দুরন্ত কৌশিকই পরে হয়েছে রোল মডেল। তারা আপনার লিচু চুরি, কলা চুরি মনে রাখেনি। মনে রেখেছে ছোট্ট শহরে দাপিয়ে বেড়ানো কৌশিককে। আপনার দুরন্তপনায় তারা খুঁজে পেয়েছে এস এম সুলতানের শিল্প কর্মের শক্তি। সে জন্যই আপনি আজ তাদের নেতা।
হ্যাঁ, আপনি বড় হয়েও ‘চুরি’ করেছেন। এই চুরি বলতে সত্য গোপন। আপনার দলের কোনো খেলোয়াড় খারাপ খেলেছে, দলের প্রয়োজনে সর্বস্ব দেয়নি; তবু আপনি তার ঢাল হয়েছেন। তাকে ড্রেসিংরুমে বকে এলেও আমাদের বোঝাতে চেয়েছেন, কই না তো! কারও একার জন্য তো হারিনি। কেউ কি ইচ্ছে করে খারাপ খেলে! আমরা সবাই মিলে ভালো খেলতে পারিনি, তাই হেরেছি। আপনি দলের অনেকের ব্যক্তিগত বিপদে দৌড়ে গেছেন। থানা-পুলিশ করেছেন। তাদের পরিবারের সহায় হয়েছেন। সংকটে পড়ে যাওয়া কারও ভাবমূর্তি পুনরুদ্ধারে হয়তো নির্দোষ মিথ্যার আশ্রয় নিয়েছেন। এসবও এক রকম চুরি, কিন্তু তা বিপন্নকে উদ্ধার করতে। কারও ভান্ডার শূন্য করতে নয়। আপনার সেই সতীর্থদের অনেকেরই হয়তো ওসব আর মনে নেই।
সিলেটের সংবাদ সম্মেলনে আপনি আজ আরেকটি কথা বলেছেন, যেটি হয়তো বাংলাদেশের বাস্তবতাকেই তুলে ধরে। এত জায়গায় এত চুরিচামারি হচ্ছে। তাদের কোনো লজ্জা নেই। খারাপ খেলার জন্য তাহলে আপনাকে লজ্জা পেতে হবে কেন?
আসলেই তো! বলা হয়ে থাকে একজন ক্রিকেটারের ‘ফর্ম’ ক্ষণস্থায়ী কিন্তু ‘ক্লাস’ স্থায়ী। আপনার সেই ‘ক্লাস’টাই হয়তো আমরা বুঝতে পারিনি মাশরাফি। আমরা ভুলে গেছি দুই হাঁটুতে সাতটি অস্ত্রোপচার নিয়েও আপনি বল হাতে দৌড়ে গেছেন। লোকে বলবে, মাশরাফি তো নিজের জন্যই খেলেছে। তারা যদি বিবেচনায় এই ব্যাপারটি আনেন যে, বাংলাদেশের প্রায় তারকাহীন সেই সময়ের ক্রিকেট থেকে মাশরাফির ‘মাইনাস’ হয়ে যাওয়া বাংলাদেশ দলটাকেই হয়তো অন্ধকারে ডুবিয়ে দিত, তাহলে ভিন্ন ছবি পাবেন। টেস্ট অভিষেকের ২০ বছর পরও বাংলাদেশের যে পেস বোলিং আক্রমণ অনভিজ্ঞতার অপুষ্টিতে আক্রান্ত, আপনিই হয়ে ছিলেন তার একমাত্র প্রোটিন। অন্ধকারের দীপশিখা। আমরা সেই মাশরাফিকে ভুলে আজ তার ফর্মহীনতা নিয়ে মেতেছি।
ফর্ম একজন খেলোয়াড়ের নাই থাকতে পারে আর ফর্ম না থাকলে কোনো খেলোয়াড় জোর করে খেলতেও পারে না। আপনিও জোর করে বাংলাদেশ দলে নেই। যখন আপনার কিছুই দেওয়ার থাকবে না, একজন জাত ক্রিকেটার হিসেবে তখনো আপনি খেলতে চাইবেন, এটাই স্বাভাবিক। কিন্তু আপনার চাওয়া মানেই এই নয় যে আপনাকে দলে নিতে হবে। সেই বাস্তবতা বুঝেই আপনি বিসিবির চুক্তি থেকে নিজেকে সরিয়ে নিয়ে নির্বাচকদের উন্মুক্ত চিন্তা করার সুযোগ করে দিয়েছেন। আর বোর্ড সভাপতি তো বলেই দিয়েছেন, জিম্বাবুয়ে সিরিজের পর আপনি আর অধিনায়ক নন। এরপর আমরা আর কি চাই? এখন বোধ হয় আপনাকে কড়া গলায় এটিও বলে দিতে হবে যে, ‘আমি মাশরাফি বলছি। খবরদার আমাকে আপনারা দলে নেবেন না।’
প্রিয় মাশরাফি, রবার্ট ব্রাউনিংয়ের ‘দ্য প্যাট্রিয়ট’ কবিতাটি আপনিও পড়ে থাকবেন। একজন দেশপ্রেমিকের করুণ পরিণতির সে বর্ণনা আজ আপনার জীবনে কিছুটা হলেও সত্যি। ব্রাউনিংয়ের‘প্যাট্রিয়ট’—এর মতো আপনিও একদিন ফুলে ফুলে আচ্ছাদিত পথ দিয়ে হেঁটেছেন। যশ-খ্যাতির পাগল করা সৌরভ আপনাকে বিমোহিত করেছে। আপনাকে অভিবাদন জানাতে এ দেশের ক্রিকেটে বেজেছে ঘণ্টাধ্বনি। কিন্তু আজ সেই ‘প্যাট্রিয়টে’র মতোই আপনার দু হাত অদৃশ্য পিছ মোড়ায় বাধা। তার কপালে বেয়ে আসা রক্ত আপনার বেলায় ঝরছে হৃদয় থেকে। পাথর খণ্ডের মতোই নির্দয় সব প্রশ্ন ছুটে যাচ্ছে আপনার দিকে। আপনার কান্না কেউ দেখতে পায় না।
পার্থক্য শুধু একটি। ব্রাউনিংয়ের দেশপ্রেমিক পেয়েছিলেন তাঁর কৃতকর্মের ফল। আর আপনি শাস্তি পাচ্ছেন একজন খেলোয়াড় হিসেবে ন্যূনতম মর্যাদাটুকু চেয়ে। দুঃখিত মাশরাফি। আমাদের বোধ হয় আপনাকে সেটি দেওয়ারও সামর্থ্য নেই।

Tax cuts, tariff relief and travel restrictions: White House hunts for options to contain virus fallout

2020-02-29T02:20:00.001-08:00

Washington (CNN)-President Donald Trump's advisers huddled on Friday to begin developing plans that would both stanch the economic effects of the spreading coronavirus outbreak and impose new restrictions on travelers from Japan and South Korea, according to people familiar with the matter.

No decisions have been made to help prevent more market carnage after Wall Street ended its worst week since 2008. Trump has demanded that advisers identify steps that would both boost confidence in his administration's ability to confront the outbreak and inspire economic optimism.

Several options are being debated, and White House officials have eyed Federal Reserve action as a possibility. Tax cuts, tariff relief on China and invoking a 1950s wartime law to boost production of medical equipment are also on the table, according to officials.

Trump said on Friday that he was also close to deciding whether to impose new travel restrictions on at least two countries with a "disproportionately high number" of coronavirus cases: "We're going to make that decision very soon."

Senior officials said Japan and South Korea were likely targets for the new restrictions.

'No silver bullet'

The White House struggle for a policy response to limit economic damage faces multiple challenges. Aides are exploring regulatory relief for businesses but the practical effect may be limited. Tax cuts and spending stimuli require the assent of Congress, and may not take effect in time to lift the economy soon enough.

"Rate cuts and fiscal stimulus can't open idled factories, lure quarantined people out of their homes or stop business from canceling conferences and travel," said Diane Swonk, an economist at the business consultancy Grant Thornton. "Skittish consumers won't spend until the fear of going out recedes. There is no silver bullet on policy response to such an extraordinary shock."

Still, Trump has not been shy in applying pressure to the Fed to lower interest rates in the past and aides expect he'll be vocal in calling for action if he determines it necessary.

"I hope the Fed gets involved and I hope they get involved soon," Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday before departing for a campaign rally in South Carolina.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, a frequent target of Trump's criticism, said in a statement on Friday that Fed officials are closely monitoring developments related to the coronavirus and the central bank will use its "tools and act as appropriate to support the economy."

Some of the President's outside advisers have also encouraged some type of tariff relief on China to boost markets and help the country as it continues to confront the crisis. It did not appear as of Friday that was being seriously considered, and Trump has said the tariffs are necessary to maintain pressure on China as trade negotiations enter a new phase.

Of greatest concern, multiple aides said, is the uncertainty surrounding the disease itself and its potential impact on Americans' lives, from the possibility of school and work closures to shortages in goods affected by global supply chains. And while Trump has praised China for its handling of the crisis, some of his aides have questioned the accuracy of information coming from Beijing.

More masks, more test kits

The Trump administration is also considering invoking the Defense Production Act, a 1950 Korean War-era law, to expand the production of medical masks and other protective gear in order to prevent the virus's spread, according to an administration official.

The law would allow the administration to expand the manufacture of products deemed necessary for national security. There have been internal discussions about using the law to require companies to scale up production of masks and other wearable equipment.

No decisions have been made yet, though officials have testified publicly about the shortage of available N95 masks. Reuters first reported that invoking the act is under consideration.

Aside from masks, some congressional and state officials have expressed concern about the availability of test kits used to diagnose the disease. Two Republican lawmakers who spoke to CNN said they were frustrated that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration had not been more aggressive about testing Americans for the virus.

"How can South Korea have done 35,000 tests and we have done a couple of hundred?" one said. "We should be manufacturing thousands of kits now and having them sent all over the country."

The CDC announced on Friday that it had manufactured new test kits with only the two components specific to the novel coronavirus, which they say will increase testing capacity.

Projecting optimism

Administration officials continued to try to tamp down economic fears on Friday, telling a conservative conference outside Washington that the fundamentals of the American economy remain strong, even as the Dow Jones Industrial Average enters correction territory.

"I would say so far the numbers coming in on the economy have actually been quite good, including today," White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said at the Conservative Political Action Conference. "You might think about buying the dip."

Kudlow insisted the coronavirus outbreak would not cause lasting damage to the American economy. Instead, he echoed the President in warning of potentially dire consequences should a Democrat win the White House in November.

"The virus is not going to sink the American economy," he said. "What is or could sink the American economy is the socialism coming from our friends on the other side of the aisle."

Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney offered another piece of advice to worried investors during an appearance at the same conference: "Tell people to turn their televisions off for 24 hours."

Pence in Florida

Friday marked the second full day of Vice President Mike Pence's tenure as the administration's coronavirus overseer.

Already, his office has worked to consolidate messaging efforts. Mulvaney sent a brief, government-wide email on Thursday saying all coronavirus-related communications must now go through Katie Miller, the vice president's press secretary, according to two people familiar with the email.

The current expectation is that officials on the task force who go on television will likely have to clear their statements with Pence's office beforehand, though a person familiar insisted this practice is less about the content and more about coordinating timing.

Still, some tentatively scheduled television appearances by Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, were canceled on Thursday and Friday as the new messaging structure came into effect. Fauci denied to lawmakers during a Friday briefing that he was being "muzzled," and he was planning to appear on some news programs over the weekend, according to Pence's office.

Even as he was overseeing the response, Pence himself was sticking to his planned political schedule in Florida. He was slated to headline a fundraiser on Longboat Key for the National Republican Congressional Committee and to speak at a Club for Growth economic conference in West Palm Beach.

Pence's office said he'd spoken with six governors on Thursday. Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, also said he'd heard from the vice president after he called for a bipartisan response to the crisis.

Pence's office added a "Florida coronavirus response meeting" to his schedule the day before he left Washington, where he briefed Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Two Republican lawmakers told CNN they thought the decision to put Pence in charge was a bad one, citing his lack of experience and questioning his travel to Florida. "Bad call," said one of the sources.

'Things happen in life'`

Trump has shown less interest in appearing fully engaged by the crisis. On Thursday, as markets tumbled more than 1,000 points and officials were probing a new case in California, the President spent nearly an hour meeting in the Oval Office with two actors who are portraying FBI officials who sent texts disparaging him in a new play.

Later, Trump invited some attendees at a White House African American History Month reception into the Cabinet Room for a discussion that was captured by cameras, including the YouTube stars Diamond and Silk.

Speaking at the reception, Trump seemed to acknowledge a virus outbreak wasn't quite among the issues he thought he'd be confronting as President.

"Things happen in life -- if they said give me 10 bad things that you think will happen, that wouldn't be on the list," he said.

CNN's Kaitlan Collins, Geneva Sands and Jim Acosta contributed to this report.

Man Lying On Delhi Road, Forced To Sing National Anthem / Dies

2020-02-29T01:20:00.003-08:00

Man Lying On Delhi Road, Forced To Sing National Anthem

New Delhi:

A 23-year-old man seen in a viral video from Delhi, in which policemen can be seen making him and four other young men sing the national anthem, has died of his injuries.
The man has been identified as Faizan, a resident of Kardampuri in northeast Delhi, one of the areas hit by violence.
The video emerged during the four days of unprecedented violence over the citizenship law in a part of Delhi, in which 42 people have died and hundreds injured. Faizan died on Thursday.
The video from northeast Delhi - verified by fact-checking website AltNews - shows five men, injured, lying on a road and singing the national anthem. Some of them are being made to sing the national anthem. A group of policemen in riot gear can be seen standing around the men. Two of them are pointing their lathis on the faces of the men. "Acchi tarah gaa (sing well)," a male voice can be heard saying.
Faizan was declared dead at Delhi's Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital. His family alleges he and the other men seen in the video were taken into police custody and beaten.
"He and the others was beaten up badly. He was beaten with iron rods. His legs were broken. His entire body had turned black because of the beatings. First, he was beaten up on the road. They (the police) must have taken him away. But I don't know about that," Faizan's mother told NDTV.
"Someone I knew recognised him (Faizan) and informed me, I went to the hospital, When I could not find him there, I went to the police station in Jyoti Colony. He was there, I showed them (the police) the photo, The police confirmed that he was there. I asked to meet him and to get him released. They didn't let him meet me. I waited till 1 am," she added.
Faizan's mother said when she returned to the police station the next morning with two others, they were threatened with detention. "They called me up at 11 pm when he was almost dying," she said.
"He did not participate in the protest," another relative said.
After Faizan was released by the police, the family took him to a local doctor.
"When he came to me, his mother was saying that the police had beaten him and that the police took him to the station and left him after two days," Dr Khaliq Ahmed 'Sherwani', who runs a clinic in Kardampuri, told NDTV.
"His blood pressure and pulse were low. He had to be sent to the hospital. He had head injuries and internal injuries. His back was blue with injuries," the doctor said.
The police said over 500 people have been detained for the violence in northeast Delhi. There are allegations that at many places, where clashes between those who supported the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and those who opposed it were going on, there was no to minimal police presence. Delhi Police had received about 13,200 distress calls during the four days when the northeastern part of the city was rocked by violence, but call records of police stations in the affected areas raise serious doubts over the response to those calls.

Syria war: Alarm after 33 Turkish soldiers killed in attack in Idlib - BBC News

2020-02-28T10:11:00.000-08:00

At least 33 Turkish soldiers have died in a Syrian government attack in opposition-held north-western Syria, in a major escalation of the conflict. Turkey, which backs the opposition, says it hit 200 government targets in response, "neutralising" 309 soldiers. Russia, Syria's key military ally, says Turkish troops were attacked in Idlib province by Syrian forces while operating alongside jihadist fighters. The EU has warned the crisis could escalate further. "There is a risk of sliding into a major open international military confrontation," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell tweeted. "It is also causing unbearable humanitarian suffering and putting civilians in danger."

Trump wants to cut corporate rate again, Mulvaney says

2020-02-28T09:10:00.002-08:00

Mulvaney’s comments come as the White House says it will roll out a new tax cut plan in September.

Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday.

A top administration official said today that President Donald Trump wants to cut the corporate tax rate again, to 20 percent from the current 21 percent.

Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney also said a proposal to index capital gains taxes for inflation is also on the table as the administration crafts its long-promised plan for a second round of tax cuts.

“We need to do the second part of the tax bill — we really do, Tax Cuts 2.0,” said Mulvaney, when asked about the president’s top priorities should he win a second term.

Mulvaney’s comments come as the White House says it will roll out a new tax cut plan in September. Though Trump has said it will be focused on the middle class, the corporate and capital gains tax ideas mentioned by Mulvaney would both primarily benefit the wealthy.

Mulvaney spoke at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference.

“He never liked the fact the corporate tax is 21 percent — he always wanted it to be 20,” said Mulvaney. “'Mick, 20 is a better number than 21,'” he said, doing an impression of the president.

Speaking with Heritage Foundation fellow Stephen Moore, Mulvaney said “You and I have been working closely on indexing capital gains for inflation — we’ve talked about that.”

He added: “There’s a bunch of stuff in the first [tax] package that were temporary — we need to make those permanent.”

More imported cases in UK 'almost inevitable'

2020-02-28T09:02:00.001-08:00

The first death of a Brit from the coronavirus is, sadly, not a surprise. This outbreak has killed around 2,800 people, most of them in China.

As the number of people infected with the virus increases, so too will the number of deaths. That is why attention continues to be on China, Italy, Iran, South Korea and Japan.

Each of those countries still has full-blown outbreaks of the coronavirus and their efforts to contain it will be crucial. Other countries are already feeling the ripple effects of these outbreaks. The latest cases in the UK are connected to either Iran or Italy.

For now there is no coronavirus outbreak in the UK, but further imported cases are almost inevitable for as long as other countries have large numbers of infections -BBC News

UEFA Europa League round of 16 draw

2020-02-28T08:57:00.002-08:00

Manchester United will face LASK while Roma are next up for five-time winners Sevilla.

UEFA Europa League round of 16 Fixtures

UEFA Europa League round of 16 ties

İstanbul Başakşehir (TUR) vs Copenhagen (DEN)
Olympiacos (GRE) vs Wolves (ENG)
Rangers (SCO) vs Leverkusen (GER)
Wolfsburg (GER) vs Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)
Internazionale Milano (ITA) vs Getafe (ESP)
Sevilla (ESP) vs Roma (ITA)
Eintracht Frankfurt (GER) / Salzburg (AUT)* vs Basel (SUI)
LASK (AUT) vs Manchester United (ENG)
The teams drawn first (on the left) host the first leg. Kick-off times can be found here.
*Salzburg host Frankfurt in the second leg of their round of 32 tie today at 18:00 CET

When are the games?

The first legs are scheduled for 12 March, with the second legs on 19 March. Kick-offs are split between 18:55 CET and 21:00 CET, as organised by the UEFA administration. Kick-off times can be found here.

Draw facts

At least six of the eight ties feature first meetings between the sides.
The potential exceptions (if Salzburg beat Frankfurt, otherwise it is seven out of eight!):
Rangers beat Leverkusen in the 1998/99 UEFA Cup second round (1-1 h, 2-1 a)
Basel beat Salzburg in the 2013/14 UEFA Europa League round of 16 (0-0 h, 2-1 a)
Manchester United are unbeaten in their eight games against Austria clubs, winning seven.
The Portuguese coaches of Olympiacos and Wolves, Pedro Martins and Nuno Espírito Santo, were team-mates at Guimarães in 1994/95.
Wolves' Daniel Podence will face his former Olympiacos team-mates, having made the switch from Piraeus in January.
Roma's Spanish goalkeeper Pau López spent last season at Sevilla's city rivals Real Betis.

Were there any draw restrictions?

There was no seeding or country protection.

Road to the final

Round of 16
First legs: 12 March
Second legs: 19 March
Quarter-finals
Draw: 20 March
First legs: 9 April
Second legs: 16 April
Semi-finals
Draw: 20 March
First legs: 30 April
Semi-finals: 7 May
Final
Gdansk Stadium, Gdańsk: 27 May

Clubs face loan restrictions after Fifa announces new regulations

2020-02-28T08:52:00.001-08:00

Manchester United signed striker Odion Ighalo on loan from Shanghai Shenhua in one of the most high-profile transfers of the January transfer window

Restrictions on the number of loan deals clubs can agree are set to come into force next season.

Fifa has proposed new regulations that would mean clubs could only have eight loan deals per season, both in and out of the club. That would then be reduced to six from 2022-23.
It would apply just to international loans at first, involving players aged 22 or over.
Chelsea currently have 28 players out on loan, with 15 aged 22 or over.
The plans are subject to the approval of the Fifa Council.
Fifa said the new regulations are intended to "ensure that loans have a valid sporting purpose for youth development".
Individual leagues would then be given a period of three years to implement similar rules for domestic loan deals.
Current Premier League rules state that clubs may not register more than two players on loan at any one time. Clubs can only register four loans in total in one season and cannot sign more than one player from the same club on loan at any one time.
There are no restrictions on numbers of players that can leave clubs on loan.

The sports world knows concussion can kill. So why does no one talk about it?

2020-02-28T08:50:00.000-08:00

At the inquest into the death of Sydney boxer Davey Browne, journalist and boxer Stephanie Convery’s anger rose. The industry had failed to protect its own

Sydney boxer Davey Browne Jr (right), whose death was initially reported as a tragic accident. Stephanie
Convery’s book After the Count investigates the boxing industry’s refusal to learn from mounting evidence about the fatal risks of concussion. Photograph: John Burgess photography

Nobody in boxing talks about concussion.
Given the objective of the sport is quite literally to hit another person in the head until they can’t take it any more, you’d think it would be a topic visited with some frequency.
It’s not.
Mention concussion in a boxing gym and you are met with a squirming, uncomfortable silence. Sometimes there are nods, a murmured hrm, before your fellow conversationalist slides quietly away. If someone feels trapped, they may bust out a bit of bro-science: It’s just one of those things. It’s just a bit of conditioning. Don’t worry too much about it. Shake it off. Keep your chin down and your guard up, you’ll be fine.
When I first began boxing, I took this blasé approach in my stride. I assumed everyone in the gym had made their peace with the dangers inherent in the sport. After a while, getting thumped became a matter of pride. “Tell you what, you can certainly take a punch,” a coach said to me one day, and I wore it as a badge of honour. The harder I trained, the harder the hits would be. Occasionally I would make my way home, ears ringing, feeling like my head was stuffed with cotton wool. But I just did what everyone else did: I shook it off, assuming I’d feel better after a good sleep. Most of the time, I did – until the day I opened my eyes to a drilling pain in my skull and wave after crashing wave of nausea.
Concussion is in the news again this week with the postmortem finding of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease caused by repeated head injury, in the late Australian rules footballer Polly Farmer.
The condition is commonly understood as the consequence of a knock to the head, but the focus on the mechanics of what happens outside the skull can be misleading. Concussion results from the movement of the brain inside the skull. The transmission of force from blow or sudden jolt – it doesn’t need to be a direct hit – can cause the brain to move or twist, or crash against the wall of the skull. So while we associate concussion with semi-abstractions – consciousness or lack thereof, confusion, impaired thinking – the reality is as physical and visceral as any other injury. Neurophysiologist Alan Pearce described it to me as “the shearing and stretching of neurons”.
There are around 60 recognised symptoms of concussion. Some people show symptoms immediately. For others, they are delayed. My experience of concussion may be completely unlike yours, and the apparent force of the blow is no reliable indicator of the damage that may result. Critically, there’s no 100% reliable way to objectively diagnose it. Many of the symptoms rely on the injured person self-reporting. But how can they self-report symptoms of an injury they don’t recognise or understand?
I didn’t really appreciate the seriousness of the resounding silence on this issue until I started investigating the death of Sydney boxer Davey Browne Jr.
Browne was knocked out in the final minutes of a 12-round regional championship fight held at a western Sydney RSL. He wasn’t a big name, but he was known around the gyms in Sydney. He came from a boxing family. His brother had fought for a world title and Browne was a talented sportsman with potential to make it big.
His death was initially reported as a tragic accident – the consequence, it seemed, of an unlucky contender doing the unthinkable: taking his eyes off his opponent for a crucial but deadly split second.
What did not become clear until much later, and was eventually exposed in the two-week-long inquest into his death, was that Browne was badly concussed in the 11th round of his fight. He’d been knocked off his feet twice in that round, and as he headed back to his corner after the second blow, he appeared to stumble. He was late coming out for the final round, wobbling and falling back against the turnbuckle as he stood up, before being pulled into the ring by the referee. He was knocked out by his opponent, Filipino featherweight Carlo Magali, 30 seconds into the final round. That final blow caused a subdural hematoma that killed him three days later.

Boxer Davey Browne Jr with his family. Photograph: Supplied by Amy Lavelle

Amy Lavelle, Browne’s widow and mother of his two young children, later told me that the incident reminded her of an episode of Air Crash Investigations. A series of tiny mistakes, omissions and inconsistencies that seemed innocuous on their own, nevertheless added up to something catastrophic.
At the inquest, I found it difficult to control my rising anger as, almost to a man – and they were all men – the officials who were responsible for Davey’s safety that night told the coroner in evidence they did not know the symptoms of concussion and they did not think Davey was concussed. Even the ringside doctor, a still-practicing physician, who had noted on his report the “major head injury” Davey had received in round 11, said: “Is he unfit to fight? I thought he was fit enough to give it a go.”
When doctors first began diagnosing boxers with dementia pugilistica (punch-drunk syndrome, the forerunner of CTE) they saw it not just as a physical illness but a social one. Those men, “fighters of the slugging type” as one of the earliest specialists, Harrison S Martland, wrote in 1928, dragged their feet, slurred their words, lost their balance and their memory.
They also beat their wives, fell deep into gambling debt, abused alcohol and other drugs. In some cases they were institutionalised. In others, they died – in bar brawls, in accidents, or they took their own lives. Sometimes they took others with them. Often they were not looked after, not helped to understand or manage their symptoms.
Boxing is ground zero for head injury research, so it is ironic that concern about concussion should now be shaking up professional football leagues and other contact sports around the world, while combat sport continues to duck and weave away from it.

News Inside

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Read: What to do if you think you were exposed to the virus

Read: Your top questions about coronavirus answered

WHO suggests Bangladesh to impose lockdown

The WHO delegation told us that some coronavirus-affected countries have chosen partial or complete lockdown or state of emergency to tackle the situation. All of them got good results as the number of fresh cases has dropped drastically in those countries after taking such steps.

Bangladesh Marks Founding Father’s 100th Anniversary

Americans prepare for a weekend at home as government declares coronavirus emergency

(CNN)-Americans are waking up to a country under a national emergency.

Millions more tests available, Trump says

Trump: We will suspend travel from Europe to US for the next 30 days

Basic protective measures against the new coronavirus

Basic protective measures against the new coronavirus

Wash your hands frequently

Maintain social distancing

Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth

Practice respiratory hygiene

If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical care early

Stay informed and follow advice given by your healthcare provider

Protection measures for persons who are in or have recently visited (past 14 days) areas where COVID-19 is spreading

Researcher discovers huge flaw with anthropometry, the measurement of facial features from images

Trump says coronavirus is no big deal after first death in US

AP, Washington

Seeking to reassure the American public, President Donald Trump said Saturday there was "no reason to panic" as the new coronavirus claimed its first victim inside the US. The White House also announced new restrictions on international travel to prevent its spread.

Trump, speaking only moments after the death in Washington state was announced, took a more measured approach a day after he complained that the virus threat was being overblown and that his political enemies were perpetuating a "hoax."

Without making a show of it, Tim Southee has Virat Kohli’s number

মাশরাফি ‘দ্য প্যাট্রিয়ট’

Tax cuts, tariff relief and travel restrictions: White House hunts for options to contain virus fallout

'No silver bullet'

More masks, more test kits

Projecting optimism

Pence in Florida

'Things happen in life'`

Man Lying On Delhi Road, Forced To Sing National Anthem / Dies

New Delhi:

Syria war: Alarm after 33 Turkish soldiers killed in attack in Idlib - BBC News

Trump wants to cut corporate rate again, Mulvaney says

Mulvaney’s comments come as the White House says it will roll out a new tax cut plan in September.

Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday.

More imported cases in UK 'almost inevitable'

UEFA Europa League round of 16 draw

UEFA Europa League round of 16 ties

When are the games?

Draw facts

Were there any draw restrictions?

Road to the final

Clubs face loan restrictions after Fifa announces new regulations

The sports world knows concussion can kill. So why does no one talk about it?