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Asia Pacific Scholars, Officials and Business Leaders to Gather at EWC Conference in Beijing

HONOLULU (Aug. 28, 2012) – A group of scholars, officials, educators and business leaders from more than 20 areas all over Asia, the Pacific and the U.S. will gather at Peking University in Beijing Sept. 1-3 for an East-West Center international conference on the theme of "Community Building and Leadership in Asia Pacific."

The conference will feature more than 75 substantive presentations and panels on current regional topics, including international relations, economics, environment, education, arts and culture, health, and much more.

The Honorable Hao Ping, an East-West Center alumnus and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Education, People’s Republic of China, will offer a welcoming address at the conference’s opening ceremony, and the Honorable Gary Locke, United States Ambassador to the PRC, will give a keynote address.




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Graduate Students from 24 Nations to Gather at EWC Conference

HONOLULU (Feb. 12, 2013) -- More than 90 graduate students from 42 universities in 24 nations are set to gather at the East-West Center this week to present their research at the Center’s 12th annual International Graduate Student Conference. The interdisciplinary gathering, planned and organized by EWC students, is the largest of its kind worldwide. All conference sessions, excluding meals, are free and open to the public.

The three-day conference, which runs Feb. 14-16 at EWC’s Hawai‘i Imin International Conference Center, includes 24 panel sessions in a number of areas focusing on the Asia Pacific region and its interactions with the U.S. Kathleen Hall Jamieson, noted expert on U.S. political campaigns and media, will deliver the conference’s keynote address on Thurs. Feb. 14 at 4:30 p.m., on the topic of “The Deceptions, Distractions and Revelations of the 2012 U.S. Presidential Campaign."




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11 fined for group gatherings larger than four

No one caught breaking mandatory quarantine




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A different kind of Ramadan: Hong Kong Muslims observe fasting month at home, as pandemic measures halt mosque gatherings

It is about 7pm when Muslim community leader Raheel Ahmed, 57, gathers with his wife, two sons and daughter for a home-made meal of dates, rice and spicy curried chicken, salad, fresh fruit and juice.For this Hong Kong family of Pakistani origin, it is their first meal after fasting for more than 12 hours, as this is the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.The world’s 1.8 billion Muslims mark the month by abstaining from food or drink from sunrise to sunset, and gathering as a community in mosques to…




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Gathering Trauma Narratives: A Qualitative Study on the Impact of Self-Identified Traumas on People Living with HIV (PLWH)

BACKGROUND Trauma—emotional, physical, and psychological—is common and associated with increased risk behaviors, low rates of care engagement and viral suppression, and overall poor health outcomes for people living with HIV (PLWH). This article presents the results of 15 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with PLWH in the Southeastern United States in which participants identified a trauma and described its long-lasting impact on their lives. Participants' trauma narratives described a wide range of traumas, including childhood sexual abuse, the loss of a loved one, and their HIV diagnosis.

METHODS Systematic qualitative analysis was used to delineate beliefs about causes, symptoms, treatments, quality of life, and health implications of trauma.

RESULTS: Fifteen participants completed semi-structured interviews that lasted on average 32 minutes. Participants described a wide spectrum of personal trauma that occurred both prior and subsequent to their HIV diagnosis. The types of trauma identified included physical, sexual, and psychological abuse inflicted by intimate partners, family members, and/or strangers.

LIMITATIONS A chief limitation of this study is selection bias. Additionally, the participant selection and content of the trauma narratives might have been affected by the surrounding context of the parent study centered on HIV, aging, and psychosocial stress. It is also difficult to interpret the distinction between discrete trauma experiences and the diagnosis of HIV, leading to potential information bias.

CONCLUSION This study highlights the importance of social support in coping with trauma and the effect of trauma on health-related behaviors. It also illustrates the need for additional research on the topic of trauma and trauma-informed care for PLWH. Understanding how different types of trauma affect individuals' lives is necessary to inform recommendations to provide better care for PLWH.




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Surrey Police use drone to break up gatherings during coronavirus lockdown

Follow our live updates HERE Coronavirus: the symptoms




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Japan cuts down more than 100,000 tulips to discourage people from gathering during coronavirus pandemic

Japanese authorities have cut down thousands of flowers to stop people from gathering in crowds during the coronavirus pandemic.




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Londoners warned not to gather on Westminster Bridge for Clap for Carers

Londoners were today told not to gather on Westminster Bridge to take part in tonight's Clap for Carers as the Met warned it was "not acceptable" to put safety at risk by flouting lockdown rules.




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City in Sweden to dump chicken manure on park to prevent festival gatherings during coronavirus outbreak

A Swedish city plans to cover its main park with a tonne of chicken manure to discourage people from going there during the coronavirus outbreak.




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Londoners again gather on Westminster Bridge to Clap for Carers despite police warning

Londoners again gathered on Westminster Bridge to take part in Thursday's Clap for Carers despite police warning it was "not acceptable" to put safety at risk by flouting lockdown rules.




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Social gatherings could be limited to fewer than 10 people until 2021 to stop coronavirus spreading, scientists say

Social gatherings could be limited to 10 people until 2021 to prevent a second wave of coronavirus infections in the UK, scientists have warned.




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Police 'fighting losing battle' over lockdown as 'hundreds' gather for picnics in east London sunshine

Police say they are "fighting a losing battle" over enforcing the lockdown after "hundreds" turned out in parks across east London to enjoy picnics in the sunshine.




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West Ham and Arsenal players return to training grounds as Premier League 'Project Restart' gathers pace

West Ham have joined Arsenal in allowing players to return to their training ground, as football took the first decisive steps towards a resumption.




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Bruno Fernandes among Manchester United stars recalled to UK as Premier League Project Restart gathers pace

Manchester United have told overseas players to return to the UK within seven days as they step up preparations for the season to be resumed.




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Frankfurt warn fans against gathering outside stadium when Bundesliga returns: 'If you show up, we will lose'

Eintracht Frankfurt sporting director Fredi Bobic says the club have implored fans not to turn up outside stadiums once the 2019-20 Bundesliga season resumes.




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Footage shows almost 30 cars ditched at Salford Quays gathering

Cars can be seen driving on pavements and going the wrong way around roundabouts



  • Greater Manchester News

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In pictures: Millions gather worldwide to protest for climate action

Millions of people from more than 150 countries have taken to the streets calling for action to combat climate change.




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Attorney General Eric Holder Delivers Remarks at the Congressional Black Caucus Gathering on Voting Rights

It was nearly half a century ago when President Lyndon Johnson signed the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law – in order to preserve what he called “the dignity of man, and the decency of democracy.” Near the height of the Civil Rights Era, he reaffirmed his commitment to President Kennedy’s ambitious agenda by joining countless Americans – seemingly ordinary, but all extraordinary – in rejecting the forces of bigotry and injustice.




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Gathering in Putrajaya Opens Year of Optimizing Human Potential

The first Senior Officials Meeting for APEC Malaysia 2020 begins





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Dark Clouds Gather over Greenland's Mining Ambitions


In September 2014, we released a study on mineral and energy resources in Greenland and were honored to have Aleqa Hammond, then the Premier of Greenland, with us at Brookings for the launch event. Since gaining political autonomy from the Kingdom of Denmark in 2009, successive governments in Greenland have been aggressively promoting the development of a mining industry as a solution to its deep and worsening economic woes. Our study concluded that Greenland was likely to develop large-scale mining and energy projects eventually, but that the pace of development would be much slower than the government of Greenland anticipated due to steep declines in iron ore prices and unrealistic expectations of demand for rare earth elements.

A lot has changed since then, but our original conclusions still hold. While there has been progress on smaller mines such as the Aappaluttoq ruby and sapphire project in southwest Greenland, it appears increasingly unlikely that any of the large-scale mining and energy projects that Greenland has been counting on will get off the ground in the near term. Global events beyond Greenland’s control have conspired in recent months to reduce the incentives for investment in mining and offshore oil and gas projects.

Political Crisis in Nuuk, But Siumut Remains in Control

Following her trip to Washington, Premier Hammond became embroiled in a political scandal concerning the misuse of public funds. She resigned from office and an election was called. Hammond’s incumbent Siumut party, now under the leadership of former Environment Minister Kim Kielsen, held on to power against its main rival by a tiny margin of 326 votes.

All major political parties in Greenland support the development of a mining industry, but the two main parties are divided on the issue of uranium mining, with the opposition Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA) party opposed on environmental grounds. However, following the election Siumut successfully negotiated a coalition government, bringing together rival parties (the Democrat party and Atassut) that support uranium mining.

Ebola Outbreak Leads London Mining to Bankruptcy

Global events continued to conspire against Greenland’s efforts to develop a mining industry. Just before the November elections London Mining, the British company developing the Isua iron ore mine, went bankrupt and was placed into receivership after incurring heavy losses at its Sierra Leone mine due to the Ebola crisis.

As we noted in our report, London Mining’s project in Greenland sought to attract investments, labor and engineering support from Chinese partners, but the company was not successful in its efforts to secure that support given the high costs of the project (estimated at about $2 billion) and the unique engineering challenges associated with the project. Nevertheless, the company’s plan to bring nearly two thousand foreign workers to Greenland along with the government of Greenland’s efforts to pass legislation that would exempt workers on large projects from Greenland’s minimum labor standards sparked an enormous controversy in Denmark over the scope of Greenland’s autonomy. It also led some commentators in Denmark and elsewhere to suggest that this investment was part of a larger strategic plan by Beijing to establish a foothold in the Arctic region. We concluded in our study that there was no evidence of any such geopolitical connection and emphasized that, contrary to many reports, there was in fact no Chinese investment in Greenland.

Last week, London Mining’s Greenland operations were purchased by a Chinese investment and trading group based in Hong Kong. Like London Mining, the project’s new owners are unlikely to develop the Isua project unless they can locate a major Chinese mining company willing to provide capital, labor and engineering. This would seem unlikely in the near term given the precipitous drop in iron ore prices since 2012 and increased production by the international mining majors.

The buyer, General Nice, is a privately held trading and investment conglomerate with subsidiaries in mainland China, Hong Kong, India, Singapore and South Africa. The company’s corporate background is unclear. It was founded in 1992, but a quick search reveals no information about the group’s activities prior to 2006, when General Nice acquired Singapore-listed Abterra. This listed subsidiary has reportedly come under scrutiny in Singapore for its lack of transparency concerning unusual investments in coal mines in Shanxi province. General Nice has made a handful of financial investments in overseas mines, all in partnership with major mining companies from mainland China. The company does not appear to have experience operating iron mines.

China Cancels Its Rare Earth Production Quotas

China’s decision last week to drop export quotas on rare earth elements is another bad sign for Greenland’s plans to develop mining projects. Investment in rare earth projects outside of China has largely been driven by expectations of limited supply from China, where production capacity has been restricted by quotas on both production and export. The removal of the export quotas may reduce interest in international rare earth projects, including the two projects in Greenland.

Security concerns expressed in Denmark over the mining of uranium and rare earth have not yet been resolved. A working group established in early 2014 between Greenland and the Danish government to resolve these issues was scheduled to conclude in late 2014, but these talks have been interrupted by the change in government. While the new coalition supports uranium mining, these issues will have to be worked out before mining can move forward. This is particularly important for the development of the Kvanefjeld rare earth project, which contains significant levels of uranium, but may also be a factor for the Kringlerne rare earth project—which does not contain uranium – as Denmark has reserved the right to reject proposed rare earth projects on security grounds regardless of uranium content.

In addition, several rare earth element projects outside China (but not in Greenland) have in fact moved ahead, further reducing the urgency to develop a project in Greenland.

Falling Oil Prices

Oil extraction was always at best a long-term prospect for Greenland due to harsh conditions, limited infrastructure and the wide availability of cheaper alternative supplies. As oil prices started falling in June 2014 and global demand growth slowed, arguably the need for exploration in high-cost areas like Greenland further diminished. Thus, in September we concluded that under the most optimistic scenario it would take at least ten years before commercial oil production would take place in Greenland. Oil prices have continued to fall, and if prices remain low the timeline for exploration in Greenland is likely to be further extended.

Dim Economic Prospects

None of this is good news for Greenland, which has hoped to meet anticipated budget shortfalls with revenue from new mines. This week the new government publicly acknowledged the difficulty in securing major investments in the near term and will place more emphasis on developing infrastructure to support the tourism industry, which now appears to be Greenland’s best hope for economic development. One such project is a proposed new airport serving the tourist hub Illulissat. Any such measures will be important as the government faces a growing gap between expenses and the annual block grant from Denmark, which is likely to increase further as the population ages.

Authors

     
 
 




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Xi Jinping’s Reform Express Gathers Steam


After the enthusiasm which greeted the launch of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s landmark reform blueprint at the Third Plenum of the 18th Central Committee in November 2013, the mood among observers of China’s economy has gradually soured. A common view is that progress on economic reforms has been slow, bogged down not only by the opposition of vested interests but also by the government’s own distraction with its endless anti-corruption campaign, and by its anxiousness to support short-term growth through easy monetary policy.

This popular take misses the mark in three respects. First, the top priority of Xi’s reform is not about economics; it is to remake China’s system of governance. Successful reform of government and administration, along with more specific market reforms, will, in turn, enable more sustainable economic growth. Second, China’s leaders clearly reject the view that to be serious about structural economic reform, they must accept a sharp cyclical slowdown. Instead, they believe that maintaining relatively rapid growth in the short term will give them more breathing room to push through their complex economic agenda. Finally, a tally of economic reform measures this year shows that progress has in fact been impressively brisk.

Governance, Not Economics, Tops the Agenda

Understanding the primacy of governance reform is essential to grasping the role of the anti-corruption campaign, which has resulted in the investigation or disciplining of over 70,000 officials at all levels of government in virtually every province, and has now spread to senior levels of the People’s Liberation Army. This campaign is often portrayed as a cynical effort by Xi Jinping to consolidate power, eliminate his enemies and curtail the influence of retired senior leaders, notably former Presidents Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao. These motives no doubt play a large role, but the campaign is too far-reaching, and has gone on for too long, for them to be a full explanation.

It is now apparent that the campaign’s central goal is to sharply reduce the system’s tolerance of corruption, which has been quite high since the beginning of economic reforms in the late 1970s. This, in turn, suggests a desire to renegotiate the basic bargain between the central and local governments that has held throughout the reform period. In essence, that bargain tasked local officials with maximizing economic growth, in exchange for which they were tacitly permitted to skim off part of the financial gains from that growth. Central authorities only cracked down when the graft reached grotesque proportions (as with smuggling scandals in Xiamen and other coastal cities in south China in the late 1990s), or when political and policy interests converged in an exemplary prosecution (as in the purge of Shanghai party Secretary Chen Liangyu in 2005, which both removed a Politburo rival to Hu Jintao and sent a message to cities to rein in property speculation).

This bargain proved effective in stimulating sustained rapid growth while China was still a low-income country. But the nation’s economy has now matured and with a per capita national income of $6,560, China now qualifies as an upper-middle income country, by the World Bank’s definition. To sustain high growth at this income level, China needs better governance, a more reliable legal system and considerably less corruption. Thus, the anti-graft campaign is not incidental to or a distraction from the main reform agenda—it is an essential part of the foundation of a more successful economic and political system.

Similarly, the legal system reform outlined at the Fourth Plenum in October, while disappointing many Western observers because it sanctified the Communist Party’s position above the laws that apply to everyone else, is in fact a significant step towards a more consistent, predictable, rules-based system. As Cheng Li has pointed out, the very act of devoting a Plenum to legal issues has made possible a discussion about how to create rule of law in China (see “Fourth Plenum Has Opened Discourse on Constitutionalism, Governance”). And the specific reforms that legal scholars believe are likely—creation of circuit courts to limit the influence of parochial interests, more consistent publication of court decisions, prohibition on Party interference in most cases and the creation of limited avenues for public-interest litigation against polluting industries—have the potential to make Chinese governance fairer, more transparent and more responsive to citizens' concerns. As with the anti-corruption drive, a key theme is to readjust the balance of power in favor of the central government at the expense of the localities.

A final element in the governance reform agenda is the important but often-overlooked fiscal program adopted by the Politburo on June 30. By 2016, China will complete its first major overhaul of the nation’s taxation and government spending system in two decades. Key items include the elimination of land-based local government financing and its replacement by provincial bond issues; restructuring of taxes to reduce local governments’ revenue shortfalls and encourage them to promote consumer services, rather than heavy industry; and stronger resource and environmental taxes to arrest environmental degradation and promote more efficient energy use. Once more, much of the focus is on redefining the core role of local governments: their main mission will shift from promotion of economic growth to effective provision of public services.

Cyclical Economic Management Supports the Reform Agenda

Once we understand the primary role of governance, the sequencing of reform measures becomes more evident, and the relative tardiness of more narrowly economic reforms becomes more understandable. But skeptics have another concern: that the government is losing sight of its long-term structural reform goals in a desperate effort to keep short-term gross domestic product (GDP) growth above seven percent. The premise of this worry is that unless the authorities are willing squeeze out inefficiencies and curb the rapid rise in debt—measures which inevitably require a sharp slowdown in growth—then the structural reforms have little chance of success. In short, the economic model cannot change unless the old, bad habits are punished by clear failure.

Two pieces of recent evidence support this view. First, early in 2014, Beijing relaxed monetary policy and started removing long-standing administrative restrictions on house purchases, in order to prop up a property market that seemed on the brink of collapse. These measures reversed the tight monetary policy of the second half of 2013, which succeeded in bringing credit growth down from 23 percent in April to around 16 percent by the end of the year. Second, the new, looser policy meant that the country’s aggregate debt-to-GDP ratio continued to rise in 2014. After rising from 145 percent of GDP in 2008 to 220 percent in 2013, this ratio continued to climb in 2014 and now exceeds 230 percent of GDP. In absolute terms, this figure is not alarming—most developed countries, including the United States, have significantly higher ratios. But the rapid increase in leverage in a short time is usually a harbinger of financial problems.

It is a mistake, however, to assume that the continued increase in leverage shows that Beijing is incurably addicted to its old debt-fueled growth model, or that the authorities have decided to prioritize growth over reform. First of all, the credit stimulus used to support the property market this year was extremely modest: the year-on-year growth rate of credit ticked up only about one percentage point for a few months, and quickly dropped again once stimulus was withdrawn. The removal of administrative restrictions on house purchases arguably played a larger role in the property stabilization than did easy credit.

More important, Beijing’s approach to deleveraging is a deliberate policy choice driven by the conviction that growth and reform are partners, rather than antagonists. A relevant comparison is the debate between U.S. and European policymakers after 2008 about the appropriate response to the global financial crisis, which left the rich economies stuck with low growth and big debts. Washington argued that policy must focus on sustaining growth (through ultra-easy monetary policy and large fiscal deficits), and that fiscal consolidation should take a back seat. European officials, especially in Germany, argued that fiscal consolidation and debt reduction had to be a top priority, even if it harmed growth. Beijing obviously favors an American-style approach to deleveraging and structural adjustment. Given the superior performance of the U.S. economy (relative to Europe) since the global crisis, this is a defensible choice.

Economic Reforms are Proceeding Smartly

The last point is that, in fact, China’s rollout of specific reform measures over the past year has been impressive. In addition to the fiscal reform package, whose significance has been severely underrated by the market-obsessed international financial media, achievements of 2014 include:

• Abolition of registered capital requirements for new firms, which caused growth in new-company registrations to surge to over 20 percent, the highest rate in a decade.

• Switching the resource tax on coal from a volume to a value basis, a long-delayed measure which should discourage excessive investment and promote energy efficiency.

• Publication of a plan to deregulate all pharmaceutical prices beginning in 2015.

• Publication by virtually all provinces of plans for “mixed-ownership” reform of state enterprises.

• A significant opening of the capital account via the Shanghai-Hong Kong Connect program which permits investors in those two financial hubs to put money directly in each others’ stock markets.

• The publication of draft rules on deposit insurance, paving the way for implementation next year, followed by full liberalization of deposit interest rates.

Clearly these are just initial steps and much work needs to be done to broaden these reforms in ways that will have material impact on China’s $8 trillion economy. But it is hard to think of another major world leader whose government has accomplished so much in such a short period of time. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, for instance, came to office two years ago promising “three arrows” of monetary easing, expansive fiscal policy and deep structural reform. So far he has delivered only one—monetary easing, which has driven the yen down and the stock market up—but structural reform is missing in action and fiscal policy was disastrously captured by Ministry of Finance hawks, whose consumption-tax increase drove the country into a needless recession. The U.S. government is gridlocked and is still fighting over a health care reform law passed five years ago. Six years after the global crisis, Italy has just begun to put in place long-overdue reforms to its labor market, and France, under its last two presidents, has done nothing at all to address its structural economic malaise. Xi Jinping can certainly be criticized on many issues, but failure to deliver on his reform agenda is not one of them.

Image Source: Jason Lee
      
 
 




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Hundreds of divers gather for underwater music festival (video)

The unusual concert was held in the depths of the Florida Reef to promote coral reef protection.




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Epicures gathered in France for Bug & Wine pairing

For the first time ever, insects took the place of cheese at an upscale gastronomical event.




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Is the word 'hunter-gatherer' offensive?

Someone recently told me it suggests indigenous peoples are primitive.




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Latvia to ease coronavirus restrictions for public gatherings from May 12




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COVID-19 heroes gather Mumbai's biomedical waste, make kin understand importance of their job

Encouraging everyone around him to stay indoors, Mayur Jadhav himself has been visiting various containment zones in Lokhandwala and Oshiwara wearing a PPE suit for three to four hours daily. A frontline worker, Jadhav does the risky job of collecting bio-medical waste from residential buildings and COVID-19 quarantines.

Amid the Coronavirus-caused lockdown, people are asked to put household waste in black bags and bio-medical waste — gloves, masks and items touched by COVID-19 patients, staffers at a quarantine facility — in yellow bags.

Like Jadhav, conservancy workers dealing with bio-medical waste are trained for the task. Jadhav, 30, resides at Durgadevi Chawl, Vakola and after weeks of practice, he is comfortable with the job. "Initially, I was worried as I had heard many were getting sick. But once we get the hang of it, we do the work without problems. Every day, we put sanitiser and spray disinfectant on the yellow bag and wait for five minutes before loading it on the vehicle meant only for yellow bags," he said. In K West ward, there are over 650 COVID-19 cases and over 300 containment zones.

'Made wife understand'

Rishikesh Dhotre, 43, is among the workers residing far from his workplace and spends over 10 hours outdoors. He leaves his Nalasopara residence 4:45 am for Worli and returns home around 3:30 pm. "I was nervous as we were visiting places everyone was asked to avoid. My wife would fight and ask why I am the one to go. But gradually, I understood the precautions we have to take and explained them to my wife. She is worried but understands the importance of the job," Dhotre said.

While Dhotre is glad to have access to fresh PPE kits every day, he also has to contend with how hot it gets during the three-hour collection.

Worried about family

Conservancy workers constantly worry about their family members, especially senior citizens at a higher risk of infection. Sarthak Chandramani, 29, works in G North ward comprising Dharavi. He takes extra precautions once he reaches home as he has a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter and 63-year-old father.

"I don't touch my phone after wearing the PPE and I call my family before I reach home. They have strict instructions to leave the house and keep a bucket of hot water and soap near the door. They are only allowed to enter after I have soaked my clothes in the bucket and gone for a bath," he said.

Chandramani often picks up medical waste falling out of the garbage bags with his hands. "People often overstuff garbage bags and then they can't be tied. Waste falls out from overflowing bags and we have to disinfect it, put back in the bag and disinfect the bag again," he said. Chandramani lives in BDD chawl, another high-risk area.

After the recent death of a civic official on food-distribution duty in Dharavi due to COVID-19, the BMC is screening all staffers. Kiran Dighavkar, assistant municipal commissioner, G North ward, said, "We have around 900 labourers collecting waste and there are 200 containment zones in this ward. We conduct screening once a week and check for fever with infrared thermometers. We have also counselled staffers to immediately report symptoms," he said.

Where is biomedical waste taken?

Medical waste is taken to a biomedical facility managed by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board at Deonar. Amar Supate, principal scientific officer with MPCB said that since March 29, the facility has processed 11 tonnes of COVID-19 waste from Containment Zones and other biomedical waste.
"The yellow bags are directly put into the incinerator. Other kinds of plastic waste, glass vials, injections or syringes and scalpels are sterilised with sodium hypochlorite and then shredded for recycling," Supate said.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

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COVID-19: No public gathering allowed in Uttar Pradesh till June 30

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officers that no public gathering should be allowed in the state till June 30 amid the coronavirus outbreak. "Chief Minister has directed officers that no public gathering be allowed till 30th June. Further decision will be taken depending on the situation," Office of CM Yogi Adityanath tweeted.

The Chief Minister held a meeting with chairpersons of 11 committees of the state over the COVID-19 situation.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, there are 1,621 coronavirus cases in Uttar Pradesh including 247 cured/discharged and 25 deaths.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever




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Press Release: Satellite imaging and disaster management experts gather in Colombo

Experts from across Asia gathered to discuss how the next generation of satellite based technologies could help improve disaster preparedness and response at a three-day meeting in Mount Lavinia.




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U.S. Recovery to Gather Pace in 2014, Says OECD in Latest Economic Outlook

Economic activity in the United States is projected to pick up in steadily in 2014 as the effects of the severe winter weather dissipate and investment and consumption expand, according to the OECD’s latest Economic Outlook.




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Developed and developing countries gather at the OECD to tackle BEPS

Almost 300 senior tax officials from more than 100 countries and international organisations met in Paris on 25-26 September 2014 during the 19th Annual Global Forum on Tax Treaties to discuss solutions to unintended double non-taxation caused by base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS).




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BEPS implementation and beyond: Developed and developing countries gather at the OECD to tackle reforms to the international tax system

In-depth discussions took place this week as the international community continues to make progress on the international tax agenda. Officials from more than 100 countries drawing from tax authorities, ministries of finance, development agencies, as well as regional and international organisations, business and civil society came together in a series of meetings hosted by the OECD.




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Developed and developing countries gather at OECD to deepen their engagement to implement BEPS package

On 1-3 March 2016, the OECD hosted two important events for the international tax community. The Task Force on Tax and Development and the Global Forum on Transfer Pricing gathered over 230 participants representing 84 jurisdictions and 11 international and regional organisations.




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Tax experts gather at the OECD to discuss solutions for common challenges in the design and operation of VAT systems

Approximately 300 participants, representing over 100 delegations from countries, jurisdictions and international organisations, as well as representatives from the business community and academia, gathered in Paris for the fourth meeting of the OECD Global Forum on VAT on 12-14 April 2017.




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Coronavirus: Scotland could soon allow small gatherings

Nicola Sturgeon today suggested people in Scotland could soon be allowed to meet a small 'bubble' of friends or family outside of their households under plans to ease the coronavirus lockdown.




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Mass gatherings WILL be banned from next weekend in dramatic government U-turn

The unprecedented move puts key summer events such as the Glastonbury Festival, Chelsea Flower Show, Wimbledon tennis championships, the Grand National and Royal Ascot under threat.




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Germany's daily infection rate slows for second day with 2,055 new cases as crowds gather in Berlin

Saturday saw Germany confirm 2,055 new coronavirus cases, bringing to total figure to 152,438, and 179 new deaths, bringing the total fatalities in the country to 5,500 (graph pictured).




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UK terror cell linked to Paris and Brussles attacks 'planned to attack where crowds gather'

The UK had been the second country that the network wanted to attack, a source said. The dramatic developments came after the arrest of 'man in white' Mohamed Abrini.




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Grand National cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic as UK government plan to ban mass gatherings

The Grand National was dramatically called off on Monday night after new Government restrictions to fight the spread of coronavirus made it impossible to stage the Aintree showpiece.




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Protesters gather in New York after ICE agents shoot Mexican man

Erick Diaz, a 26-year-old Mexican national, was shot by the immigration and customs agents in Brooklyn on Thursday as they were trying to arrest his mother's boyfriend.




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Thousands gather at ultra-Orthodox funerals to mourn two Jewish victims in Jersey City

Both Ultra-Orthodox services were held on Wednesday evening, in keeping with Jewish custom to conduct burial services as soon as possible after death.




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Robin Wright and Clement Giraudet take their dog to the beach as LA cracks down on public gatherings

House of Cards star Robin Wright was spotted out with her husband Clement Giraudet in Santa Monica taking their dog for a walk on the beach in Santa Monica on Tuesday.




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A President's farewell: World leaders gather in Paris to pay final respects to Jacques Chirac

Claude Chirac bowed her head towards the tombstone at the Paris cemetery where France 's former head of state was laid to rest today.




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Court halts ban on mass gatherings at Kentucky churches

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - A federal court halted the Kentucky governor's temporary ban on mass gatherings from applying to in-person religious services, clearing...




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Mayor Bill De Blasio instructs police to ARREST mourners at funerals and large gatherings

NYC Mayor De Blasio personally showed up at an Orthodox Jewish funeral in Williamsburg Tuesday and threatened mourners with arrest for ignoring social distancing.




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Speculation Scott Morrison wants to watch Cronulla Sharks before mass gathering ban

Mr Morrison announced the government would ban 'non essential' public gatherings of more than 500 people in Australia from Monday.




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Worshippers gather for Sydney Hillsong conference after Scott Morrison introduced ban on mass events

Mr Morrison announced on Friday the government would ban 'non essential' public gatherings of more than 500 people from Monday amid increased concerns about the spread of COVID-19.




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Team Trump gathers at Lincoln Memorial for COVID-19 town hall

The revolving door of administration staffers has seen them parachuted into their new roles recently - but they have been thrown in the deep end as they guide the president's coronavirus response.




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People gather on their balconies in Queensland to cheer for doctors and nurses amid coronavirus

Residents in two adjacent apartment buildings in Redcliffe, north of Brisbane, simultaneously cheered for all medical services staff around the country.




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Boris Johnson gathers Cabinet and announces Brexit Bill clause

The PM and his top team met in Downing Street after it was revealed that withdrawal legislation is being amended to rule out any extension of the transition period beyond December 2020.