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Singapore reviews sale, slaughter of wild animals at wet markets, but says risks are low

The Singapore government is reviewing the sale and slaughter of live animals at wet markets, Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources, said on Tuesday. The relevant agencies are doing so while taking into consideration international benchmarking and scientific evidence, she added.Her comments were in response to a parliamentary question from MP for Nee Soon Group Representation Constituency Louis Ng. He asked whether her ministry would consider banning the…




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Kim Jong-un reduced public activities because of coronavirus, says South Korea’s spy agency

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…




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US Marines headed to Australian port of Darwin after coronavirus delay

A delayed rotation of US Marines to a defence base in Australia’s northern city of Darwin will go ahead based on strict adherence to Covid-19 measures, Australia’s defence minister said after speaking with her US counterpart.Up to 2,500 US Marines had been scheduled to arrive in April, in a major defence alliance cooperation exercise, but this was postponed in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.The remote Northern Territory, which has recorded just 30 Covid-19 cases, closed its borders…




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China, Australia decoupling labelled ‘zombie economic idea’ amid coronavirus fallout

Calls for Australian businesses to diversify away from China as their main trading partner are nothing more than a “zombie economic idea” that is being used as a political tool to expedite the decoupling of the two countries, according to a report by the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney.The debate about Australia’s over-dependence on China for its livelihood has ramped up recently, triggered by the interruption of supply chains during China’s…




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Australian government push to tap China market heats up industry debate about over-dependence

Australia’s economy has become too reliant on China as a result of a government push for domestic industry to maximise exports to the world’s second largest economy, industry submissions to a government inquiry say.Business groups also singled out Australian government policies, including management of bilateral relationships with Indonesia and India, as hurting access to alternative markets.While some Australian export industries are not reliant on demand from China, companies like those in…




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Australia ‘concerned’ over reports US may have leaked documents to boost Donald Trump’s Wuhan lab claims

Signs of a growing split between Australia and the United States over an unproven theory that the coronavirus came from a Wuhan laboratory have emerged, amid claims the US embassy may have leaked a dossier linked to the allegations.The Sydney Morning Herald on Thursday reported that Canberra was increasingly concerned the Trump administration’s promotion of claims that the novel coronavirus began in a lab could undermine its push for an independent inquiry into the origins of the pandemic and a…




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MPs vote to limit automatic release from prison for pregnant women

Prague Daily Monitor

Judges will no longer have to automatically pause or delay sentences for pregnant women, or women with a child under one year old, and release them from prison if the case includes particularly serious crimes. The judges will be able to make the decision according to factors including danger to those involved. The notion was passed at the first reading in the Lower House and drafted by politicians from almost every political party.

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Fraudster posing as CIA agent draws over CZK 1.5M from women

Prague Daily Monitor

A serial con-artist, defrauding women into thinking he was a CIA agent or a director of a shopping mall, has been captured by police in Kladno. The 47 year old man, wanted for another fraud he was convicted for, has a five year prison term outstanding. The man has several prior convictions, which in the past were also fraud related; an example: conning women out of money in Tábor area or around Prague, posing as a medical doctor.

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High winds cause an estimated 50,000 trees to fall in Šumava Park

Prague Daily Monitor

The high winds from the "orkan" of the past few days have caused an estimated 50,000 trees to fall in the Šumava National Park. The exact count of the damage to the park is still being calculated by park rangers.

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SUNY Empire State College launches student exchange programs with UNYP

UNYP

Last month a new partnership agreement was signed between the University of New York in Prague and SUNY Empire State College. Under the agreement, SUNY Empire students would have access to new extensive study abroad and exchange programs between New York and the Czech Republic, which would incorporate a wide range of educational options to experience Prague.

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Little-grown broccoli, cauliflower put good cash in farmer’s wallet

Samuel Murithi’s decision to grow the niche crops pays off as demand for the two vegetables picks up, thanks to their health benefits




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Jacaranda offers great beauty and good wood carvings

Jacaranda was first introduced in Africa via Cape Town in 1829 before spreading to the rest of the continent.




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COVID-19 BLOG: Take extreme caution in reopening country

It’s been almost two months since Kenya announced its first Covid-19 case. It’s also been more than a month since President Uhuru Kenyatta first announced cessation of movement for some counties and the nationwide night curfew.




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Virat Kohli: Cricket's 'magic' up in smoke without live audience

The International Cricket Council has said it is "exploring all options" for the tournament.




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Two Hong Kong police officers arrested for possessing HK$12 million in drugs, which the force believes were stolen from record crystal meth haul a week earlier

Two police officers have been arrested for possessing more than HK$12 million (US$1.9 million) worth of drugs, which the force believes were stolen from the record haul of crystal meth seized last week.One of the two policemen detained, a 41-year-old station sergeant, who is attached to the Kowloon West anti-triad squad, was caught with 2kg of Ice in the Royal Garden Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui East on Thursday, police said, just days after being part of a team that seized 296kg of the drug in a…




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Muhammad Ali moots Iran fight and Macau ferry raised from the sea: headlines from 40 years ago

Muhammad Ali offering to help free Iran hostages, a contest pitting an abacus against a calculator and an Indian hospital using patients as guinea pigs made the headlines 40 years ago this week.May 4, 1980● The Macau ferry Fatshan, which capsized during Typhoon Rose in August 1971, was brought to the surface by a Chinese salvage team. Three skeletons, believed to be the remains of three of the victims trapped in the vessel when it sank near northeastern Lantau Island, were discovered inside the…




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Disqualified Hong Kong lawmaker Lau Siu-lai was denied chance to respond to allegations of not upholding Basic Law, judge says

Disqualified lawmaker Lau Siu-lai was denied the opportunity to respond to allegations of not genuinely upholding Hong Kong’s mini-constitution before she was barred from trying to win back her seat in the Legislative Council, a judge has observed.Mr Justice Anderson Chow Ka-ming made the remark on Thursday while hearing an election petition from Lau, who has asked the High Court to determine whether pro-establishment lawmaker Chan Hoi-yan had been duly elected to the office of Kowloon West…




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Coronavirus: Hong Kong gyms, restaurants, beauty parlours and bars reopen but owners not convinced they will fully recover

Hong Kong started returning to normal on Friday as the city eased the social-distancing rules brought in to help combat the spread of Covid-19.For the first time in more than a month, residents were able to go to gyms, beauty parlours, bars, cinemas, and other public venues which the government previously forced to close.With local transmission of the virus levelling off over the past two weeks, officials have allowed a partial reopening of eight types of business, but with conditions attached…




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Two Hong Kong men get eight months’ jail for carrying weapons at unauthorised Yuen Long protest in July

Two Hong Kong men found carrying weapons at an unauthorised protest last year were jailed for eight months on Friday.Fanling Court sentenced sales consultant Yung Wai-shing, 26, and clerk Chu Tsz-wan, 24, to jail for possessing an extendable baton, a laser pointer, a catapult and a packet of metal pellets at a march in Yuen Long on the night of July 27.The court sentenced co-defendant Vincent Chu Chun-hoi, a 19-year-old cook, to correctional training for carrying an air pistol at the same event…




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Hong Kong man pleads guilty to sexually assaulting his daughter since she was 6

A Hong Kong man has admitted in court to raping his nine-year-old daughter and telling his younger son that it was none of his business when the child caught him in the act.The High Court heard the sexual attacks spanned nearly six years, since 2011, when the casual vegetable seller, who could not be identified for legal reasons, first attempted to rape his daughter after school.At the time she was only six, while he was 40.Acting deputy director of public prosecutions Catherine Ko said the…




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Coronavirus: Hong Kong records no new cases, as government adviser suggests easing border restrictions with Macau

Hong Kong recorded zero new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, as a government adviser suggested that border control measures between the city and Macau could be the first to be lifted.It was also the 20th day in a row without any local infections, although a handful of imported cases over the past week had taken Hong Kong’s tally to 1,044 with four related deaths.Health experts earlier raised the prospect of Hong Kong being declared free of local transmission if there were no such cases after 28 days…




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Governments Cautioned Not to Use COVID-19 Lockdown to Cause Harm

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is calling on governments and leaders around the world to ensure that their respective lockdown measurements don’t end up causing harm to people by those enforcing the lockdowns.   “Emergency powers should not be a weapon governments can wield to quash dissent, control the population, and even perpetuate […]

The post Governments Cautioned Not to Use COVID-19 Lockdown to Cause Harm appeared first on Inter Press Service.




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‘Eerily quiet’: Qantas pilot flies Australians home in near-empty skies

While the route is familiar, the Qantas pilot of a flight bringing Australians in the UK home said he had never seen the skies so "eerily quiet."




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Death toll from Canada's mass shooting rises, Trudeau pledges action on guns

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday his government would move ahead on the gun control legislation he promised during last year's election campaign after the shooting. 




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Katrina Kaif starts a live video accidentally, wins audience's hearts: WATCH

Katrina Kaif accidentally started a live video on Instagram, winning audience’s hearts with her adorable expressions




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Shah Rukh Khan's Twitter exchange with Brazilian author Paulo Coelho has fans gushing

Paulo Coelho praised Shah Rukh Khan for his recently released movie 'Kaamyaab'




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Vicky Kaushal calls himself 'husband material' in reply to marriage proposal

Vicky Kaushal can be heard calling himself 'husband material' in a clip




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Coronavirus: Greek restaurateurs' empty chairs protest over social distancing plan

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Outspoken Libyan princess Alia Al Senussi supports ‘New Saudi’ art scene

Outspoken Libyan princess Alia Al Senussi supports ‘New Saudi’ art scene




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Cholistan land probe: NAB sends questionnaires to Shahbaz Sharif, Rana Sanaullah, Balighur Rehman

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau Multan has sent a questionnaire to Opposition Leader in the National Assembly and President PML-N Shahbaz Sharif, ex-minister of state Balighur Rehman,...

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Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie plan 'separate parties' for daughter Shiloh's 14th birthday

Shiloh will have a separate celebration at her mom Angelina Jolie's home, but Brad Pitt would be delighted to have all his kids over for the party




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Gigi Hadid flaunts her culinary skills under lockdown

Gigi and her sister Bella have been spending more time in the kitchen under quarantine




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Austrian ski resort covers glacier after virus cuts season

STUBAI GLACIER, Austria: With its season cut short by the coronavirus pandemic, one of Austria’s most popular glacial ski resorts covered its glacier in protective fabric earlier than usual this year to help preserve it for a still uncertain reopening, foreign media reported.In a normal...




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Father, son charged with killing black man Ahmaud Arbery

SAVANNAH, Ga: More than two months after a black man was shot to death while jogging on a Sunday afternoon, Georgia investigators conceded that the facts show enough evidence to jail a white father and son on charges of felony murder and aggravated assault, a UK based news agency reported.The...




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The Mossad mission to capture architect of Holocaust

PARIS: On May 11, 1960, Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann was nabbed by a team of Israeli spies after years on the run in Argentina, ending a long manhunt. Ten days later, drugged and dressed as a crew member of Israeli flag carrier El Al, he was smuggled to Israel by Mossad agents and put on...




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UN agency for Palestinians launches corona appeal

RAMALLAH: The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees launched an emergency coronavirus appeal Friday, saying Palestinians across the Middle East were suffering a devastating socio-economic impact.The agency appealed for $93.4 million for the next three months to provide food and cash...




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US pulling Patriot missile batteries from Saudi Arabia

WASHINGTON: The US is pulling out four of its powerful Patriot missile systems from Saudi Arabia, after determining the threat from Iran that sparked an arms buildup in the region last year had waned, a Defense Department official said Thursday. Two of the anti-missile batteries deployed following...




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US to remove Patriots, other military assets from Saudi Arabia

WASHINGTON: The US is pulling out four of its powerful Patriot missile systems from Saudi Arabia, after determining the threat from Iran that sparked an arms buildup in the region last year had waned, a Defence Department official said late on Thursday.Two of the anti-missile batteries deployed...




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If precautions not followed, lockdown will have to be reimposed: Shibli

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz on Friday said people's cooperation is vital for the success of lifting the restrictions of lockdown. In a tweet, he said Standard Operating Procedures for various businesses will have to be implemented strictly. He said...




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Cholistan land probe: NAB sends questionnaires to Shahbaz, Sanaullah, Baligh

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau Multan has sent a questionnaire to Opposition Leader in the National Assembly and President PML-N Shahbaz Sharif, ex-minister of state Balighur Rehman, former MNA Chaudhry Umair Mehmood and former law minister Punjab Rana Sanaullah Khan in the matter...




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If precautions not followed, lockdown will have to be reimposed, says Shibli

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz on Friday said people's cooperation is vital for the success of lifting the restrictions of lockdown.In a tweet, he said Standard Operating Procedures for various businesses will have to be implemented strictly.He said that...




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Taliban chief's properties seized for auction

KARACHI: Afghan Taliban chief Mulla Akhtar Mansour’s five properties of over Rs32 million in Karachi have been seized by the anti-terrorism court for auction, sources said on Thursday.Mulla Mansour, who was killed in a drone strike along the Pakistan-Iran border on May 21, 2016, had...




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If precautions not followed, lockdown will have to be reimposed, says Shibli Faraz

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz on Friday said people's cooperation is vital for the success of lifting the restrictions of lockdown.In a tweet, he said Standard Operating Procedures for various businesses will have to be implemented strictly.He said that...




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Taking ownership: Better data is needed on women’s assets in Asia -- by Kaushal Joshi, Mildred Addawe, Arturo Martinez

Collecting sex-disaggregated data on asset ownership is an important step in achieving gender equality and empowerment of women and girls in Asia and the Pacific.




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What surfing taught me about reforming state-owned enterprises -- by Rafael Abbasov

Reforming state-owned enterprises can be an extraordinarily complex activity but it is underpinned by a single clear goal.




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Tám bước để có đầu tư theo hình thức đối tác công - tư (PPP) hiệu quả ở Việt Nam -- by Donald Lambert, Sanjay Grover

Một bộ luật cấu trúc tốt về đầu tư theo hình thức quan hệ đối tác công-tư là cơ hội chính để nâng cấp cơ sở hạ tầng ở Việt Nam.




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In Indonesia, a new tool is being used to fight child marriage -- by Claudia Buentjen, Kate Walton

Local officials can now find information from all sectors, such as health, education, women’s empowerment, child protection, and human rights and law, to help them address child and teen marriage in their area.




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How governments can halt the rise of unfriendly, unstoppable super-artificial intelligence -- by Wim Naudé

Artificial intelligence could be enormously beneficial to society, and it could also lead to catastrophe. Governments can play a role determining the outcome of AI’s development.




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Why infrastructure governance matters -- by Bruno Carrasco, Edwin Lau

The delivery of services – such as clean water, reliable public transport, schools and hospitals – through economic and social infrastructure is among the most important functions of government. Resources must be well spent to ensure quality.




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Three ways to support businesses and their workers during a pandemic -- by Paul Vandenberg, Matthias Helble

Many workers will be displaced and many businesses will close as a result of the slowdown caused by COVID-19. Providing support to those affected gives them a fighting chance.