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Most parents don't want to send children back to school immediately after coronavirus lockdown lifts, survey shows

Most parents don't want to send their children back to school as soon as the coronavirus lockdown is lifted, a new study has found.




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Canadian Olympic athletes describe rollercoaster of going from highest intensity training to biding their time

'I was thinking two weeks of quarantine and then things would go back to normal, but we realized pretty quickly that was not the case'







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Chadar, India: The end of the Ice Road – in pictures

Our project to document communities undergoing irreversible change took us to the frozen Zanskar river, which connects Ladakh and Zanskar in northern India.

Michał and I began our Before its Gone project at the start of 2017, with the aim of identifying, visiting and documenting locations and communities that are experiencing rapid (and irreversible) changes. The idea is to notice these changes so they can be remembered – and learned from.

Our first expedition was along the frozen Zanskar river that links Ladakh and Zanskar in the north Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. When the temperature drops to -30C and mountain passes get covered with metres of snow, the Zanskar region becomes inaccessible for the winter, and the frozen river the only route connecting it with the rest of the world. For hundreds of years villagers across the mountains have used Chadar (the ice road trek) to get to school, work or to see a doctor. But that will change soon, as the Indian government plans to build a new road here. However, as our translator Stanzin Tundup told us, the road may not be the biggest engine for change.

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The Guardian view on an NHS coronavirus app: it must do no harm | Editorial

Smartphones can be used to digitally trace Covid-19. But not if the public don’t download an app over privacy fears – or find it won’t work on their device

The idea of the NHS tracing app is to enable smartphones to track users and tell them whether they interacted with someone who had Covid-19. Yet this will work only if large proportions of the population download the app. No matter how smart a solution may appear, mass consent is required. That will not be easy. Ministers and officials have failed to address the trade-offs between health and privacy by being ambiguous about the app’s safeguards.

Instead of offering cast-iron guarantees about the length of time for which data would be held; who can access it; and the level of anonymity afforded, we have had opacity and obfuscation. It is true that we are dealing with uncertainties. But without absolute clarity about privacy the public is unlikely to take up the app with the appropriate gusto.

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The Guardian view on birdsong: a fragile joy | Editorial

The chance to put biodiversity and the environment at the heart of recovery from the pandemic should not be squandered

One night in April, birdwatchers from around Britain stepped outside their doors and listened intently to something most of them had never experienced before: the fluting, mysterious, melancholy cry of the common scoter on the wing.

Flocks of these dusky sea ducks were beating their way over Britain on their long migratory journey towards their Arctic breeding grounds, easily audible to the naked ear. The first great wave was heard on the Wirral before being picked up in the Peak District, and at last by the Humber. A second wave was made out as flocks made their way along the line of Hadrian’s wall, from the Solway Firth in the west to Northumberland in the east. A third wave flew above listeners from the Severn estuary to the Wash. The birds were heard in urban Blackburn, Stalybridge, Bristol and London. It was thanks to social media that so many listeners were alert to the birds’ progress – and thanks to the silence of lockdown that they could be heard.

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U.S. continues media battle with Beijing, limits Chinese journalists' visas

The back-and-forth continues.The Department of Homeland Security said Friday the United States will shorten the visa length for Chinese journalists working for non-American news outlets to 90 days. Previously, journalists with Chinese passports were granted open-ended visas. They can apply for extensions under the new rules, but renewed visas will also last just 90 days. The new limit won't apply to reporters from Hong Kong Macau, or to mainland Chinese citizens who hold green cards.It's the latest development in a media war between Washington and Beijing that has intensified during the coronavirus pandemic. American officials said the rules were meant to counterbalance the "suppression of independent journalism" in China, whose government expelled journalists from The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Washington Post in March. Before that, the U.S. reduced the number of Chinese citizens employed by multiple state-controlled Chinese news organizations to work in the country. The New York Times notes the move wasn't unexpected; U.S. intelligence officials have long believed some journalists at Beijing-run outlets are spies, and the Trump administration has designated some Chinese news agencies foreign government functionaries.The heightened tensions between the world's two biggest powers didn't just show up in the media world Friday. U.S. lawmakers wrote to nearly 60 countries asking them to support Taiwan's participation in the World Health Organization, a move that likely won't sit well with China. And Washington also blocked a United Nations security council resolution calling for a global ceasefire during the pandemic because it indirectly referenced the WHO, which the U.S. has blamed in conjunction with China for failing to suppress the outbreak.More stories from theweek.com Outed CIA agent Valerie Plame is running for Congress, and her launch video looks like a spy movie trailer 7 scathing cartoons about America's rush to reopen Trump says he couldn't have exposed WWII vets to COVID-19 because the wind was blowing the wrong way






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COVID-19 tracing apps come with privacy risks to Canadians, watchdogs warn

Federal privacy commissioner Daniel Therrien says the health crisis calls for some flexibility when it comes to the application of privacy laws.




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Google data suggests Canadians following COVID-19 rules, but experts wary over privacy

While location-tracking technology is nothing new, privacy and ethics experts have been wary about its use on such a large scale — especially by governments.











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Reliance Mutual Fund renamed as Nippon India Mutual Fund

Nippon India Mutual Fund becomes the largest foreign-owned AMC in India.




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Chor companies never change, I burnt fingers trying to bet on #ChangingIndia: Porinju

He said these cos will perish in the ongoing ‘Historic Detoxification Drive’ of India Inc.




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Docs reveal contents of first wire msg between India & Eng

Newly discovered documents have revealed the first telegraph messages and joy when England was linked for the first time with India on 23 June, 1870.




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Indian gift makes its way to State Department exhibition

An elephant figurine gifted by the then HM LK Advani to US Secretary of State Colin Powell in 2002, has made its way to the State Department hall.




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Cairn India hits record high on BSE amid stake sale talks

The scrip, which was flat for most of the session, shot up in the final hour of trade on the Bombay Stock Exchange to settle with a net gain of 4.36 per cent at Rs 355.45.




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Indian firms slip in global ranking; four move out of Top-500

14 firms present in a new list of world's 500 most valued firms together seeing an erosion of about $150 billion in their market value in the first three months of this year.




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Six Indian cos among BusinessWeek's top 100 Infotech firms

BusinessWeek's 'The Infotech 100', has ranked Bharti Airtel at the 21st position followed by Reddington India (55th) and RCom (66th). Successful business formula




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Market may trade in a range, but FIIs seen sold on India

Market may see range-bound trading this week in the absence of any major trigger.




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Inflation reflects growth dynamics in India: Christopher Wood

India has inflation and it reflects the fundamental growth, Christopher Wood, equity strategist, CLSA, said at ET Now Mkt Summit-2010.




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Seven out of top 10 Asian small-cap funds are Indian

An analysis of 300 Asian small-cap schemes shows DSP BlackRock Micro Cap Fund leading the charge, delivering an 82% return over the past year.




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Mike Pence spokeswoman, married to top Trump adviser, diagnosed with coronavirus

Pence spokeswoman Katie Miller, who tested positive Friday, had been in recent contact with Pence but not with the president. She is married to Stephen Miller, a top Trump adviser




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Indian-American grocery store owner in Silicon Valley charged with price gouging

Based on evidence provided by customer receipts, the investigation confirmed that the pricing of several food items exceeded the 10-per cent increase allowed during a state of emergency, with some prices being as much as 200 per cent more.




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Revival in smartphone demand in India expected from Q3: IDC

The smartphone market registered 1.5 per cent year-on-year growth in the March quarter with shipments touching 32.5 million units, IDC said in a statement. Despite the low figure, India was the only country among the top three nations to see any growth.




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Duchess Meghan: Style Diary

See Meghan's style choices since her May 2018 wedding to Prince Harry.

      




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Melania Trump Style Diary

What designers does the first lady choose to wear? Click through to see Melania Trump's ensembles.

      




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The Water Bomber, The Frogman and The Great Canadian Novelist

By Allan Eastman The photographs of water bombers fighting the horrendous Ft. McMurray conflagration of 2016 invoked a sudden wash of memories having to do with two of the great Canadian cultural institutions that I had the good fortune to be involved with and a bizarre set of circumstances that led from a burned out […]



  • The Water Bomber

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Stadia’s latest woe: Its PUBG port is overrun with official, crappy bots [Updated]

If 98 painfully stupid bots fall onto a PUBG island, do they make a sound?




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Locked-down Churchill impersonator uses social media to mark VE Day

Derek Herbert had been due to appear at Hever Castle in Kent but will instead perform on social media.




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Ter Stegen's diary: Keeping fit, keeping sane and bonding with family at home

The Barca goalie shares his routine from quarantine in Spain.




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The pandemic ‘unicorn’: Canadian startup dependent on travel joins $1-billion-plus club

Platform connects international students to universities, colleges and high schools with one application system




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Media outlets push for regulatory changes to level the playing field amid coronavirus pandemic

Publishers of several of Canada’s major newspapers signed a joint letter to the federal government this month, taking aim at the advertising revenue earned by Google and Facebook.




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Some Canadian cruise ship crew members finally heading home

Roughly 19 Canadian crew members aboard Holland America’s MS Koningsdam disembarked at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, Calif. on Friday while another group of 53 aboard the Emerald Princess is hoping to do the same on Saturday at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.




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Canadian Forces determining how to raise helicopter that crashed

The Canadian military is still determining how to raise the wreckage of a military helicopter that crashed into the Mediterranean Sea last week, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said Thursday.




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Labour calls for immediate release of Priti Patel bullying probe after reports she has been cleared

The investigation into bullying accusations against Priti Patel must be released "as soon as possible", Labour has demanded.




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The pros and cons for Canadian cities interested in being hubs for fan-free NHL games

As the NHL looks for ways to salvage its regular season that was suspended by the COVID-19 pandemic, one option on the table is for a select group of so-called hub cities to host all the games. Three Canadian cities have expressed interest in the role.



  • Sports/Hockey/NHL

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COC's David Shoemaker discusses how $72 million in federal aid will be used on Canadian sport

The Canadian Olympic Committee CEO talks about state of Canadian sport during COVID-19 and how funding will help keep sport organizations afloat.





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The Guardian view on BAME death rates: inequality and injustice

Coronavirus is much more likely to claim the lives of black people than white. Socio-economic factors are a significant contributor

A universal experience is highlighting the sharp divides in our society. Few are as stark and shocking as those revealed by Thursday’s news that black people in England and Wales are more than four times as likely to die from Covid-19 as white people. Bangladeshi and Pakistani people were about three and a half times more likely, and those of Indian origin two and a half times as likely, the Office for National Statistics reported.

The disproportionately high toll of BAME people was already evident, notably among medical staff: a review of just over a hundred NHS staff who died found that almost two-thirds were black or Asian, though those groups account for less than one in seven workers in the health service. It is all the more striking, given that age is one of the biggest risk factors and the over-65s comprise only one in 20 of the BAME population, compared with almost one in five of the white population.

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The Guardian view on relaxing lockdown: repent at leisure | Editorial

The government must be cautious in both the decisions it takes and the messages it sends

The end is not in sight. With an estimated 20,000 new infections a day, and with experts warning that the reproduction rate of coronavirus may be rising again, any premature loosening of the lockdown will only prolong the crisis. When the prime minister speaks on Sunday evening, it is essential that he makes it clear that people should still be staying at home, not relaxing their guard.

Though so many other countries had been hit, the government did not act soon enough to either contain the threat or prepare for it. Those failures have made a longer and tougher lockdown necessary. It was slow to take the pandemic seriously, slow to impose stringent social distancing, and slow to pursue equipment, testing and tracing, as the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, noted this week.

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Robert Webb 'predicted' his near-death experience in novel about man with undiagnosed condition

'I thought at the time it was a work of fiction,' author says




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Mindy Kaling: 'It would be great to have more LGBTQ content for Indian people. It's almost never talked about'

'The Mindy Project' star and writer talks to Priya Arora about breaking boundaries with her new Netflix show 'Never Have I Ever', a coming-of-age comedy about a modern-day first-generation Indian American teenage girl, much like younger herself