New York has embarked on a program to use thousands of 'contact tracers' to track the spread of the novel coronavirus and contain its reach. ......

WASHINGTON — Truth can be a casualty when President Donald Trump talks about deaths from the coronavirus in the United States. He’s claimed that the United States is on par with Germany in keeping down COVID-19 deaths, which is not the case in mortality reports. He’s brushed off projections that deaths in his country will double from earlier forecasts, misrepresenting how the numbers were calculated. These distortions emerged over the past week alongside his relentless bragging about the U.S. testing system, which failed in the crucial early weeks and remains globally subpar. Pushing to get the country back to normal, Trump also suggested that children are safe from the coronavirus. ignoring...

Congress said Parliament...

New Delhi (Sputnik): As many as 12 people lost their lives and several others were hospitalised due to a hazardous styrene gas leak at a South Korean factory in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh on Thursday. ......

Google’s 3D animals are the best antidote to lockdown boredom. Here’s how to get them and the comprehensive list of what you can find. ......

Learn about yet another Little Known Character in America with this week's column from Cal Campbell! ......

Photo from Fredy Builes/VIEWpress via Getty Images) Colombian delivery app Rappi is testing pilot robot deliveries in Colombia. Rappi operates in several Latin American countries, and last year SoftBank invested one billion dollars into the startup. Deliveries are made using Kiwibot, a delivery robot from a Colombian owned company in California. Visit Business...

Growing up in Ramallah in Palestine, Maher Nasser, Director of Outreach Division at the United Nations Department of Global Communications, never really liked running. “I only ran when I needed to: to catch a bus or to run from soldiers,” he tells IPS. But now with three marathons under his belt — which raised thousands for scholarships […]

The post Q&A: How to #BeActive during COVID-19 Lockdown appeared first on Inter Press Service.

The mayor of the western Turkish town of İznik, which is a key venue in the history of Christianity, has launched a campaign against those who paint the historic city walls with graffiti despite repeated warnings. Click through for the story in photos...

For lovers of adrenaline sports and wildlife activities, Turkey presents a number of breathtaking options. Click through for the full list with a bonus in the end...

Istanbul presents unique experiences for those who want to escape from the intense week day into the weekend in the world’s only intercontinental city. Click through for the top five suggestions from Hürriyet Travel:

Lake Gökpınar, dubbed a “natural aquarium,” enchants visitors as fall colors merge with its crystal-clear turquoise-hued waters.

Adnan Çelebi, who has been a craftsman for 30 years in Avanos district of Cappadocia, has been making the world’s smallest jugs for 15 years.

World's second deepest canyon located in Turkey's Black Sea province of Kastamonu attracts visitors. (Source: Anadolu Agency)

Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia Museum remained Turkey’s most visited tourist attraction in 2019, according to data released by the Culture and Tourism Ministry. (Alamy Photo)

Turkey has blocked three foreign banks- BNP Paribas, Citibank, and UBS- from doing foreign exchange transactions with the Turkish lira, the nation’s banking watchdog announced on May 7. 

Turkish elder care homes are taking measures to protect the elderly across the country as the world grapples with the continued dangers of coronavirus.

On 4 December 2018, Eversheds Sutherland’s Elizabeth Shepherd was on a panel providing oral evidence to the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee at a one-off session to consider the impact of the proposed Brexit deal on Chemicals Reg...

The Environmental Audit Committee (“EAC”) has launched an inquiry to investigate the impact of toxic chemicals on everyday life (launched 12 February 2019). The inquiry will focus on the use of toxic chemicals in everyday products includ...

The end of December 2019 saw the next step in the EU’s commitment to the adoption of a circular economy as the EU Commission published a road map on a new action plan which aims to speed up the transition to a circular economy. The new plan is...

The European Securities and Markets Authority (“ESMA”) has issued a public statement, “Actions to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the EU financial markets” urging national competent authorities not to prioritise supervisor...

On 30 March, the Luxembourg Government published a new draft law (the Draft Law) which looks set to increase the Luxembourg tax burden for transactions realised with enterprises based in jurisdictions on the EU’s list of “non-cooperative...

One of the issues which accommodation teams in the Education Sector will be grappling with will be students trying to terminate their accommodation contracts early because of the Coronavirus outbreak. The impact this will have on the institution&rsq...

Introduction Last Monday’s announcement from the Government placing the country in lockdown will be felt heavily by institutions who are trying to ensure continuity of provision to students and maintain quality and standards of teaching. In ou...

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has created an unprecedented human and economic crisis. Governments are taking strong actions, enforcing quarantines to reduce contagion, testing populations, building emergency intensive care units. Governments have also launched large fiscal stimulus plans to protect jobs and the economy, as well as temporary social protection programs such as income/food support, subsidies […]

The post Citizen Action is Central to the Global Response to COVID-19 appeared first on Inter Press Service.

The mining sector in Africa is facing radical change as youth activists take action against the environmental degradation caused by mining industries. Tensions between activists and the mining industry have raised, however, concerns over human rights abuses. Kenya’s National Coalition for Human Rights Defenders reported, for instance, cases of harassment and intimidation “against at least […]

The post Growing Youth Activism for Environmental Protection in Africa appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Peter Paul van de Wijs is Chief External Affairs Officer, Global Reporting Initiative

The post Time to Raise the Ambition for Climate Action appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Sometimes a slight sacrifice in overall “aww” factor is worth it for a dessert that actually tastes good.

The Bundesliga season will resume on May 16 in empty stadiums

The NBA is taking small steps toward a return to normalcy

Overtime pay, a barometer of strength in corporate activity, also fell at a record pace in March, data showed.

The country loses a veteran of diplomatic affairs and adviser to several prime ministers with the coronavirus death of former Foreign Ministry official Yukio Okamoto.

I have spoken to a number of Members of Parliament. Some say, the President “undressed” them before the electorate

The bags should be placed a good distance from the walls. The roof must be leak proof and the room must be well ventilated. When the coffee is to be transported from the farm to the market the bags must be protected from dust and rain and the farmer should use trucks that have tarpaulin covers, writes Michael J Ssali

[New Era] The trial of Affirmative Repositioning (AR) land activist Dimbulukeni 'Dee' Nauyoma has been postponed to 19 May this year.

The Israel Institute for Biological Research developed a disinfectant that kills 100% of viruses and bacteria, and is currently being used in mikvehs in Bnei Brak.

Hesham Selim's appearance on the TV show led to yet another wave of support for LGBTQ rights in Egypt on social media, with many praising the actor for his support for his son.

The body of Ali Ajami, an Iranian human rights activist, was discovered in McGovern Lake at Hermann Park, Houston, Texas, on Wednesday. The cause of death remains unknown. Houston Police on Wednesday started an investigation into the death of a deceased male found in a pond at Hermann Park but said no other information was available yet. Iranian social media users have reported that the body belonged to thirty-seven-year-old Iranian human rights activist Ali Ajami.

God is love. That statement doesn’t only reflect popular modern sentiment. It is actually a direct quote from God’s Word—1 John 4:8, to be precise. But in what sense is it true?

The major theological conflicts of the past should never be dismissed just because they happened a long time ago. Many theological fissures were vitally necessary—and remain crucial into the present. And the Protestant Reformation is perhaps the greatest example of that—a clear and necessary line of doctrinal demarcation that has stood for more than five hundred years. And the lines of division couldn’t be more critical. They mark fierce disagreements over who is the head of the church, whom we should worship, whom we should pray to, what the cross represents, and how sinners can be saved. No amount of time can sweep those fundamental theological differences under the rug. Or so you would think.

The economy would improve once businesses reopen and employ people, and tourism resumes, with measures in place to give visitors confidence in their safety, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Friday.

In response to the global financial crisis in 2008, China rolled out a massive 4 trillion yuan (US$564 billion) stimulus package.With the coronavirus posing an even greater threat to the economy, the outbreak left the top leadership with a decision to make, as the efforts in 2008 also left the nation with a mountain of debt.Before the outbreak, China had already cut the top tier of the value-added tax (VAT) rate to 13 per cent from 16 per cent in April 2019, after a one percentage point cut in…

The daily death toll from Covid-19 in the United States could have been more than halved if authorities had acted more swiftly in recommending self-isolation and the wearing of face masks, according to a new study.Several US states began issuing stay-at-home orders in late March, while federal health authorities began recommending the use of face masks for all in early April. However, had such measures been implemented just four days earlier, the roughly 2,000 Covid-19 deaths currently being…

A Utah-based start-up says it has exclusive business rights to the use of smartphones and other electronic devices for tracing people who have come into contact with a person with Covid-19, setting up a potential patent-infringement battle with some of the biggest technology companies.Blyncsy, which describes itself as a “movement and data intelligence” company headquartered in Salt Lake City, holds the business method patent for “tracking proximity relationships and uses thereof” by…

Zoom Video Communications pushed forward on Thursday in its effort to revamp its security, striking a deal with the New York attorney general’s office to protect users’ privacy and purchasing secure messaging start-up Keybase.The company, which has faced backlash for failing to disclose that its service was not fully end-to-end encrypted said it planned to develop tools that will give more controls to meeting hosts and allow users to securely join a meeting and submit them to external review…

Germany’s defence ministry and BND foreign spy agency have privately cast doubt on American claims that the coronavirus pandemic originated in a Chinese lab, media reported on Friday.An internal memo prepared for Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer “classifies the American claims as a calculated attempt to distract” from Washington’s own failings, Der Spiegel reported.US President Donald Trump is attempting “to distract from his own mistakes and direct Americans’ anger at China”,…

It has not got much attention with the world focused on coronavirus, but deforestation has surged in the Amazon rainforest this year, raising fears of a repeat of last year’s record-breaking devastation – or worse.Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon hit a new high in the first four months of the year, according to data released Friday by Brazil’s National Space Research Institute (INPE), which uses satellite images to track the destruction.A total of 1,202 square kilometres of forest – an…

There are no signs North Korean leader Kim Jong-un received heart surgery when he disappeared from state media for three weeks, but he reduced public activity due to coronavirus concerns, South Korean lawmakers briefed by the spy agency said on Wednesday.Kim attended the completion of a fertiliser plant, North Korea’s official media said on Saturday, the first report of his appearing in public since April 11.His absence fuelled a flurry of speculation about his health and whereabouts, with a…

There was a collective sigh of relief when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach shook elbows over the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in March because of the coronavirus pandemic. What with the unprecedented postponement of an Olympics and subsequent uncertainties over athletes, logistics, sponsors, a Tokyo 2020 main office employee contracting Covid-19, and the increasing friction between Abe’s and Tokyo governor (and…

Prague Daily Monitor

After the weekend hack-a-thon proved that a CZK 401 million contract for a web based vignette system can be made in a few hours time, with 60 programmers, Prague's politicians are on a witch hunt. Next is the CZK 15 billion Prague metro maintenance contract which was signed without a public tender.

read more