Question:
The Grand Princess cruise ship carrying passengers who have tested positive for coronavirus passes the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco, March 9, 2020.

Kate Munsch/Reuters

The coronavirus-stricken Grand Princess cruise ship docked in Oakland on Monday so passengers could leave the ship for quarantines on land.

But 19 crew members who tested positive for the coronavirus were kept onboard because they were "asymptomatic," according to Princess Cruises.

The ship is expected to leave the San Francisco Bay with more than 1,000 crew members still onboard.

The quarantine of the Diamond Princess, a ship from the same cruise line, left crew members in close quarters and vulnerable to the coronavirus' spread.

For the latest case totals, death tolls, and travel information, see Business Insider's live coronavirus updates here.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The Grand Princess cruise ship is unloading all of its passengers in Oakland, California after a string of coronavirus cases brought the ship into port.

But 19 crew members who tested positive for the virus will remain on the ship with more than 1,000 other staff, Princess Cruises said in an email update on Tuesday.

The cruise line said that those 19 staff were "asymptomatic."

But some limited research has suggested that infected people who don't have symptoms can pass the coronavirus to others. In one case, a woman in Wuhan, China, passed the virus to five family members without ever getting sick herself.

The Grand Princess arrived in Oakland on Monday after sitting off the coast of the San Francisco Bay Area for four days while officials planned what to do with its passengers. As of Monday night, 407 passengers had left the ship and begun traveling to US military bases for quarantine. Non-US citizens were put onto charter flights.

Two passengers who tested positive for the new coronavirus were transferred to local hospitals.

It's expected to take a few more days to unload the rest of the passengers. Once they have all left the ship, the Grand Princess plans to leave the San Francisco Bay with its entire crew onboard. It is unclear where the ship will go after that.

"Plans for a crew quarantine are still being determined," Princess Cruises said in the email.

An on-ship quarantine in Japan failed, especially for crew members

Crew members aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama port, February 24, 2020. More

Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP/Getty

The Grand Princess cruise ship is from the same line as the Diamond Princess, which hosted one of the largest outbreaks of the new coronavirus outside of China.

The ship sat in the port of Yokohama, Japan, for about three weeks in February as the local government placed everyone on board under quarantine. In the end, more than 700 people who were on the Diamond Princess tested positive for the new coronavirus.

Experts have criticized the Japanese government's decision to keep passengers and crew on the Diamond Princess, and some have said the quarantine procedures may have even helped the virus spread.

"I'd like to sugarcoat it and try to be diplomatic about it, but it failed," Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told USA Today. "People were getting infected on that ship. Something went awry."

Crew members were especially at risk, since they still had to share cabins, bring food to passengers, and eat together in a mess hall.

A crew member moves about the passageways of the quarantined cruise ship Diamond Princess on February 9, 2020, in Yokohama, Japan. More

AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko

"We all are really scared and tense," Sonali Thakkar, a worker on the Diamond Princess, told CNN during the quarantine.

"There are many places where we all are together, not separated from each other," she added. "Especially when we sit in the same mess hall and eat together, the place where it can spread very fast."

As the case count on the ship rose, some Indian crew members begged their government to rescue them, sharing a series of videos on Facebook. One of them, Binay Kumar Sarkar, told Business Insider that the situation on the ship was "out of control."

Passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship got their first piece of bad news on February 4: 10 people on board had tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

It was the beginning of a nearly month-long ordeal of quarantine orders and disease response that has been widely criticized as a failure. As of Friday, Japan's Ministry of Health reported that 705 people from the ship had contracted the virus, as well as one quarantine officer who worked on the ship. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Friday that 44 passengers flown back to the US had tested positive.

Six people who were on the ship have died.

"The quarantine was not justified, and violated the individual rights of the passengers while allowing the virus to literally pick them off one-by-one," Dr. Amesh Adalja, who works at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told Business Insider in an email.

Adalja and other experts have criticized the decision to keep passengers and crew on the ship and said poor hygiene practices helped spread the virus.

"I'd like to sugarcoat it and try to be diplomatic about it, but it failed," Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told USA Today. "People were getting infected on that ship. Something went awry."

Here's how it got so bad.

Jerry Nadler, chairman of the House judiciary committee, described the decision to hold a full vote on impeachment as a sad day ANDREW HARNIK/AP

Donald Trump was formally charged today with abusing his office after a vote that split along party lines, paving the way for him to become only the third president in US history to face an impeachment trial.

Sombre-faced members of the House judiciary committee resumed their seats for less than eight minutes this morning after 14 hours of rancorous argument yesterday, to vote with 23 Democrats in favour and 17 Republicans against indicting the president.

That sets up a vote in the full Democrat-controlled House of Representatives next week before President Trump, 73, faces a trial in the Republican-controlled Senate in the new year for the “high crimes and misdemeanours” of abusing his power and obstructing Congress over his dealings with Ukraine.

The result seems…

by January2020

“Was the government to prescribe to us our medicine and diet, our bodies would be in such keeping as our souls are now”.

~Thomas Jefferson

Everybody is focused on the political arena of entertainment while the framework for a medical tyranny is being built behind the scenes.

Conspiracy and corruption in our medical industry is one of the most stealthy forms of control. Average people just assume that the medical community has our best interests in mind so they don’t scrutinize the information coming from that direction to the same degree.

The white lab coat has been offered as a symbol of unbiased purity. FFS, think about how Monsanto used to be given a wide pass merely because SciEnTiStS dOn’T liE tO uS, aNd MoNsAnTo = sCiEnCe!

Thankfully people are starting to wise up to the whole Monsanto/Bayer debacle and have realized that Monsanto was successfully pulling off unfactual Tobacco $cience for decades. Big victory for humanity!

The problem is, they’re still ignoring a huge fucking elephant in the corner.

The medical system in the USA kills approximately 225,000 people every year. About 106,000 of those people died from drugs they were prescribed.

Did you catch that? About 106,000 people die every year due to following the instructions of their doctor and taking the drugs prescribed to them as directed.

Jon Rappoport points out that the medical community supports and is supported by both sides of the political spectrum and enjoys a type of invisibilty and freedom from scrutiny due to this percieved neutrality. They aren’t “neutral”, though. Their polararity slide can be labeled Government Granted Power vs. The Best Interests of the Populace. They have polarized in one major direction: suckling the teats of government and consolidating power while ignoring the best interests of the populace.

From this link, written by investigative journalist Jon Rappoport:

Which is Worse: The NSA or The FDA?

December 30, 2019

By Jon Rappoport

A message to WikiLeaks, Cryptome, Public Intelligence, and other sites that expose secrets.

Does 2.25 million deaths in America, per decade, at the hands of the medical system, rate as a significant leak?

As my readers know, I’ve reported on a number of scandals concerning the toxicity of medical drugs, including shocking death numbers in the US.

These scandals are leaks from inside the National Security State.

If you visit WikiLeaks, Cryptome, Public Intelligence, and other similar sites, how many purely medical documents do you find posted?

How many damaging leaks exposing the crimes of the medical cartel do you find?

Very, very few.

Where are the medical insiders who are liberating and passing along incriminating documentary evidence?

Some of the best exposers of political, intelligence-agency, and military crimes are way behind the curve, when it comes to medical matters.

The medical sphere, for various reasons, is far better protected than any other segment of society.

For the hundredth time, let me cite Dr. Barbara Starfield’s stunning review, “Is US health really the best in the world?” published on July 26, 2000, in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Starfield, at the time, was working as a highly respected public health expert, at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.

She concluded that the US medical system kills 225,000 Americans a year. That would add up to 2.25 million deaths per decade.

Laid directly at the door of the American medical complex.

106,000 of those annual deaths, as Starfield reports, are the direct result of medical drugs.

Aside from the genocidal death toll, Starfield’s findings also imply massive fraud in all medical journals that routinely publish glowing results of clinical trials of drugs.

Such trials open the door to the marketing of drugs that kill, according to Starfield, 106,000 Americans every year. How is this possible unless deep, continuing, and abetted research fraud are the order of the day?

Indeed, Dr. Marcia Angell, the editor of New England Journal of Medicine for 20 years, wrote the following:

“It is simply no longer possible to believe much of the clinical research that is published, or to rely on the judgment of trusted physicians or authoritative medical guidelines. I take no pleasure in this conclusion, which I reached slowly and reluctantly over my two decades as an editor of The New England Journal of Medicine.” (NY Review of Books, January 15, 2009)

The FDA, of course, is the single government agency responsible for certifying drugs as safe and effective, before their public release is permitted. Yet the FDA takes absolutely no responsibility for the deaths.

Can you imagine the feeding frenzy, if, say, some leaker in the Pentagon passed along a political/military document to Wikileaks that showed the Dept. of Defense was poisoning to death, like clockwork, a hundred thousand of its own soldiers every year?

Let’s stop this insane nonsense of separating one whole set of government crimes from another, simply because the propagandized priests in the white coats are above reproach.

We’re not living in 1950 anymore, and this isn’t Kansas.

In 1988, when I was writing my first book, AIDS INC., I stated that medical covert ops are the most successful methods for pacifying, debilitating, and controlling populations, through toxification, because these ops fly the flag of political neutrality.

They appear to favor no king, dictator, president, government administration or partisan position.

Their propaganda is all about healing and helping.

In fact, the medical cartel is, in the long run, the most effective branch of political repression, from one end of the planet to the other.

It favors top-down control by those in power, whoever they are, whatever they claim to stand for.

Consider this: when Ed Snowden released NSA documents that showed the extent of government surveillance on populations, no one from the intelligence establishment made a serious case that Snowden’s revelations were false. Instead, they attacked Snowden for exposing “methods” of “the war on terror.”

However, in the medical arena, leakers would be afraid that doctors, medical bureaucrats, public health agencies, government leaders, drug-company fronts, and major media outlets would, all at once, deny the validity and truth of the leaks—despite the fact that the truth is there for all to see.

In other words, the best protected cartel in the world—medical—would act in a far more Orwellian fashion. It would say: the truth is not the truth, the facts are not the facts, 2 and 2 do not equal 4—and the cartel would get away with doing that.

This is the kind of clout we’re talking about when it comes to medical matters.

Over the years, I’ve alerted mainstream reporters to the Starfield review, cited above, and other confirming published studies that reveal the horrific extent of medical destruction. Those reporters who bothered to get back to me issued blanket denials. They essentially said, “Yes, I see the evidence and the facts, but the facts aren’t facts. What’s happening isn’t happening.”

Now we’re talking about some heavy brainwashing.

By comparison, it makes the quality of the scandal around Snowden seem like a Sunday lunch in the park.

A few years ago, I had one reporter, who exposes political leaks, tell me: “I don’t mess with medical stuff. It would ruin my credibility.”

Indeed. Another indication of how powerful the medical apparatus is.

Recently, the Washington Post highlighted a new study that puts “medical errors” as the 3rd leading cause of death in America. There hasn’t been any significant follow-up. There hasn’t been an explosion of outrage. So even when exposure occurs, the brainwashing factor is so strong it makes no difference. It’s just another ho-hum day in the news business.

That’s mind control par excellence. That’s tremendous protection of criminals.

That’s like a crime boss saying, “Yeah, I kill 225,000 people every year, but it’s an accident”—and nothing happens.

He goes his merry way, and everyone praises him as a humanitarian.

Talk about inventing and selling false reality.

This one is at the top of the charts, and it stays there.

I could stop here, but I’m going to take this one step further, because, as you can see, I’m talking about mind control. So here is the vital add-on:

American Natural Superfood – Free Sample

From the dawn of history, humans have been particularly vulnerable to statements, from “selfless altruists,” about being saved, being rescued, being given gifts from above. And behind those statements, when there is an organization involved, a top-down organization, the threat level rises considerably.

Leaders have always recognized that if they match their pronouncements and assurances with the population’s unflagging hope of being saved, they, the leaders, win. They win big.

Even in societies where overt human sacrifice was practiced, the cover story involved some kind of healing and rescue. The good gods would see the sacrifices and intervene to produce “better days.” Better life for all.

This is what was sold, and this was what was bought. For many people, the times have not changed. Make them a promise of medical rescue, and they’re in. They’re floating in a hopeful trance.

A hypnotic induction has been performed, and it works.

The controlled subject responds with gratitude.

At that point, you can engage in complete contradictions, rank absurdities, and doublespeak.

The trance will hold.

As my old research collaborator, hypnotherapist Jack True, once told me in an interview, “People want dreams. When they lose faith in their own ability to dream about the life they want, they’ll accept someone else dreaming for them. That’s what hypnosis is. Someone else dreaming for you. You accept a substitute. That’s mind control. That’s believing you can live in someone else’s creation forever…”

If I were the head of an institution of higher learning, I would engrave that quote above the gates, and I would build a four-year course that explores the implications of the quote in every dimension of human existence.

The medical cartel is the best-protected organization on the planet.

Disclaimer: This content does not necessarily represent the views of IWB.

Once registered, you can:

- Read additional free articles each month

- Comment on articles and featured creative work

- Get our curated newsletters delivered to your inbox

Register Now

By registering you agree to our privacy policy, terms & conditions and to receive occasional emails from Ad Age. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Are you a print subscriber? Activate your account.

Singer Linda Ronstadt directly compared President Donald Trump to the German dictator Adolf Hitler, and claimed Mexicans are being treated the same as Jews in Nazi Germany, as reported by Fox News.

She made the statement in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, where she also called President Trump “uncontrollable,” and compared his confirmation of many federal judges to Hitler’s efforts to consolidate power in Germany in the 1930s.

When Cooper pushed back on Ronstadt’s comparison between Trump and Hitler, she defended herself by claiming that “if you read the history, you won’t be surprised…it’s exactly the same.” She claimed that President Trump has been trying to “find a common enemy for everybody to hate…it’s gonna be like Hitler, and the Mexicans are the new Jews.”

She also claimed that the Trump Presidency has caused a strain in her own family due to some of her relatives being Republicans. However, she described her conservative relatives as “fairly rational Republicans,” saying that “we don’t have that in our current White House.”

We'll send breaking news and news alerts to you as as they happen!

Sign up!

Instruction: Retrieve semantically similar text.


Question:
CES 2020 has seen the debut of many new and innovative gadgets that break traditional boundaries: from Alienware’s introduction of a handheld PC gaming device to Razer’s first-ever gaming desktop, brands have definitely strived to think outside of the box. Now, Panasonic has followed suit with its groundbreaking re-imagination of how users can interact with virtual reality.

Doing away with the cumbersome headset designs of Oculus and Vive, the Japanese electronics company has crafted a sleek, lightweight and more streamlined pair of VR glasses partly reminiscent of steampunk eyewear. Offering more than just a more comfortable and fashionable design, however, Panasonic says that its VR glasses are the first in the world to have full HDR capabilities, greatly enhancing image quality in terms of color reproduction and contrasts for a truly immersive experience. The device also utilizes a newly-developed OLED display jointly built by Panasonic and Kopin which practically eliminates the “screen-door effect” found on other conventional VR headsets, allowing for an incredibly HD experience. Completing the glasses are two earbuds equipped with Panasonic’s very own Technics drivers, providing high quality audio to the wearer.

There’s currently no release date or pricing information on the new VR glasses from the Japanese company, but some reports suggest that they’ll mainly be made for commercial use instead of being for the consumer market. However, those interested should definitely stay tuned as more updates are due to roll in.

Elsewhere in the tech world, Uber is now letting passengers in California pick their favorite drivers.

The problem with VR headsets is that they still all look like VR headsets — glorified ski goggles that shut you off from the world. I’m not going to say Panasonic has solved the matter altogether with its own VR glasses at CES this year, but the project does represent something of an improvement. Basically, they’re regular-ish glasses with a dash of steampunk aviator style.

The glasses — and they are glasses, rather than a headset — also offer technical improvements over other solutions in the market. The micro OLED panels, co-developed by Panasonic and Kopin, are extremely high resolution with almost no hint of the “screen-door effect” that plagues most VR hardware. They’re also the first VR glasses to support HDR, which was particularly impressive during a CG demo of the interior of a Japanese temple, with light realistically bouncing off golden decorations.

Panasonic has made use of its own audio technology in the headset, with Technics drivers in the earbuds providing rich, dynamic sound. The company says it also used optical designs from the Lumix camera division and similar signal processing technologies as found in its TVs and Blu-ray players.

The prototype unit I tried had some clear limitations. The micro OLED panels were smaller than they could have been, resulting in a squarer image with a lower viewing angle than traditional VR headsets. The glasses were also a little front-heavy and slid down my nose whenever I tilted forward; this wasn’t helped by the cables running directly out of the eyepieces to a gaming PC. A non-functioning mockup of the envisaged final product, which I also got to wear, solved these problems by being significantly lighter and running a single USB-C cable through the end of one of the glasses’ arms.

Panasonic is unlikely to ever sell these glasses as a consumer product. Instead, it’s pointing to commercial applications that are likely to spring up alongside the rollout of 5G networks, such as virtual travel and VR sports. Japanese companies are talking about this sort of thing a lot this year, given the Olympic Games in Tokyo and the fact that 5G services are yet to launch in the country.

But my main takeaway from the demo was that hey, turns out it’s possible to make VR glasses that are both better quality and with a better form factor. It might not make for a practical consumer product just yet, but it’s an intriguing look at a step that could make VR technology more appealing to a mainstream audience.

Picking the best games of the decade is an increasingly tough task. The number of titles keeps expanding while the number of platforms has blossomed beyond consoles and PCs. Players encounter so much content that the job of winnowing all that down to a top-10 list is daunting.

I haven’t played all the critically acclaimed titles. Games such as “Undertale” have escaped my purview, but I’ve played plenty of releases over the past 10 years. The list below isn’t based on quality per se, but it’s more personal. These are the games that had a lasting impact on me. They are the ones that I fondly remember or the titles that I still play today.

That’s partly why titles such as “Minecraft” and “Fortnite” aren’t on that list. Although those are the two most important releases of the decade, they aren’t ones that I played very much. With that said, here are the games that were the most important to me over the past decade.

1 “Pokemon Go” — This unconventional take on the popular franchise had a surreal level of popularity when it was released during the summer of 2016. That enthusiasm has died down but the game remains a force.

Of all the games I played this decade, this has had the biggest impact on my life. That’s because of the nature of Niantic’s location-based game. It’s a title that’s played outside in the real world and encourages players to explore their neighborhood to find pocket monsters.

That pushes players to interact face to face and opens up opportunities to foster bonds between players. The magic of “Pokemon Go” is how it manages to build community. It’s a game that has led to real-life friendships and even a commitment to running. It’s a mobile title that has enriched the lives of players because its a game that exists beyond the screen.

2 “Hearthstone” — I tried and failed to get into “Magic: The Gathering” as a teenager but I gave the collectible card game genre another chance with “Hearthstone.” I wasn’t disappointed. Part of the success of Blizzard’s game is that the developers simplified the gameplay elements and put it on mobile platforms and tablets.

It opened up the game to a huge audience and the accessible gameplay made it easy to pick up. The combination of the two has made it hugely successful and turned “Hearthstone” into a popular esport. The only black mark on its resume is the controversy over a Hong Kong protest this year.

3 “Dark Souls 2” — Those who love the Hidetaka Miyazaki’s “Souls” game have a moment when his games just click for them. They look beyond the difficulty and appreciate the lessons contained within the adventure. No other title this decade taught me more about patience, persistence and perseverance than “Dark Souls 2.”

This isn’t the best game of the series, but it is the one that hooked me on to this style of gaming. Every encounter is fraught with danger and players feel the tension in every fight. Yes, the game is difficult and it can be obtuse at times, but it’s also the most rewarding experience I’ve had this decade.

4. “The Last of Us” — One of the most overlooked aspects of modern gaming has been the performances of voice actors. That has changed thanks in part thanks to the work of Naughty Dog, and the performances by actors Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson in this post-apocalyptic masterpiece.

The visuals are gorgeous for its time and the gameplay mechanics are solid with a mix action and stealth, but it’s the world that Naughty Dog creates and the actors’ performances that invest players in the characters and transformed how we appreciate games.

5. “Red Dead Redemption” — This game kicked off the decade and set the bar for the open-world genre. The beautiful visuals coupled with an intriguing story and memorable protagonist in John Marston made this a game that fans enjoyed living with.

It’s an adventure that used its environment to its advantage, creating a distinct take on the wild west. One that few games have been able to match.

6. “Mass Effect 3” — This title capped off arguably the best video game trilogy in years. It was also the culmination of years of storytelling as BioWare wrapped up a journey that began in 2007. What’s notable about this project is how the choices players made over each chapter impacted the totality of the finale.

The ending itself was not without controversy and showed how games aren’t just one-way streets from developers to players. It is a collaboration in which those who make the games must listen to their audience.

7. “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” — Nintendo’s first foray into an open-world “Zelda” was hugely successful and helped with the strong launch of the Nintendo Switch. “Breath of the Wild” was also the biggest departure from the series tried and true formula, but somehow it maintained the ethos of discovery and adventure. It was a series that needed a heavy dose of change and Eiji Aonuma and his team delivered.

8. “Monster Hunter World” — The disparity between the popularity of the “Monster Hunter” franchise in Japan and the U.S. has always been wide, but it has significantly narrowed thanks to this entry in the series. Not only has Capcom produced one of its most visually striking games, but by streamlining the mechanics it made it more approachable and addictive. All of this creates one of the best entries and one that broke out in the United States in a big way.

9. “Sid Meier’s Civilization V: Brave New World” — Every once in a while I have the urge to play a campaign of “Civilization.” Few franchises have had its hooks in me like that. The developer, Firaxis, has molded a successful franchise by launching a new chapter with improved visuals and mechanics, but over time, they have refined it through downloadable expansion packs. The process has made a great game perfect. The pinnacle of the series is “Brave New World,” where the team brings in ideas such as the World Congress, tourism and Great Works to add a new layer of depth to the late game. This game continues to be one I return to despite a solid sequel.

10. “Overwatch” — The rise of esports has been one of the major stories of the decade, and one of the games that capitalized on that is “Overwatch.” Blizzard’s team-based shooter was a hit because it allowed players of all skill levels to compete by allowing them to fulfill different roles. If someone doesn’t great quick-twitch skills or accuracy, they may have a talent at tactics or healing. That makes it more accessible and rewarding. I’ve spent hours playing with my brother and cousins and figuring out our own playstyles.

Blizzard has done a great job at cultivating “Overwatch” as an esport, and with its Overwatch League moving its teams to local markets in 2020 and a sequel on the way, the future looks bright for the game.

Little has been done to provide people with disabilities with the guidance and support needed to protect them during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, even though many of them are part of the high-risk group, today warned the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, Catalina Devandas. “People with disabilities feel they have been left behind,” the UN human rights expert said.… Read more on https://africa-newsroom.com/press/covid19-who-is-protecting-the-people-with-disabilities–un-rights-expert?lang=en

Share this: Email

Twitter

Facebook

LinkedIn

More

Print

Tumblr

Reddit

Pinterest

Like this: Like Loading... Related

Fortnite Credit: Epic Games

Another trip around the sun, another chilly January morning. 2019 was something of a problematic year, like most of them, but it’s over now, time to start anew. Fortnite’s Winterfest challenge today is New Year’s themed, just like it was last year, asking you to launch some fireworks and celebrate 2020, whatever it might bring. Read on for a map, guide and location for where to launch frozen fireworks found on beaches at Dirty Docks, Craggy Cliffs and Sweaty Sands. Your reward will be the quite stylish 2020 glider.

We know where we’re going: it’s right there in the name. Spawns for frozen fireworks do not seem to be consistent, so the best you can do is head to one of the requisite coastlines and just start running around until you find one of them. I’ve marked each coastline on the map here:

Fortnite Credit: Epic Games

You’ll want to land right away, because once a Firework is launched, it’s launched, even if you didn’t launch it. Just get down early, fire something off and try to stay alive to earn the glider.

A note: like an idiot, I initially just sort of loaded up a match and tried to light fireworks, but didn’t see anything on the ground. That’s because these things will not spawn unless you head to the Winterfest cabin first and open your stocking, thus triggering the challenge. So don’t be like me, and don’t forget to open your stocking.

2019 was a year of stabilization for Fortnite. It started things off near the peak of its fame, but declined off of those highs throughout the year. This is pretty standard for any game that becomes as big a phenomenon as Fortnite, but it can still be a bit of a come down for fans when it actually happens.

2020 should be an interesting year, however. It’s starting off slow with a dramatically extended Chapter 2, Season 1, but then we’ll see if Epic has used some of that extra time to build some more features. But expect more standard content, an expanded creative mode, and more likely than not a ton of crossover events. We’ll see what happens.

A sign notifying customers of a closed terrace is shown at food court in Montreal, Wednesday, March 18, 2020, as COVID-19 cases rise in Canada and around the world. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

OTTAWA - While Canada's response to the COVID-19 outbreak has taken off drastically in the last week, some have found it lopsided across the country.

In Ontario and Alberta, dine-in restaurants and bars are closed by provincial decree, while Quebec has shut down bars but ordered restaurants to limit the number of customers.

Other provinces have made no such order.

Even in a single city like Ottawa, there's variation between which businesses have stayed open and which have shuttered to the public.

Businesses need more federal direction to avoid confusion, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce said Wednesday.

"One of the things businesses are looking for is more coherence," said Perrin Beatty, president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

Right now in Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada and federal health minister provide advice to the provinces, but each province and territory is ultimately responsible for making its own decisions.

Beatty said the situation can be particularly vexing for companies that operate across jurisdictions.

"As rate of infection is growing, the same rules increasingly should apply across the board," he said.

For some, without specific advice from the federal government, it can be a difficult financial proposition to voluntarily shut their doors, he said.

Federal authorities say that have been co-ordinating with provincial counterparts, but that local context is important.

"We very much recognize ... that there are specific conditions in specific cities, specific provinces," said Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.

"That's why we have public health officers also at the provincial and the city level."

The provinces' decisions about whether to close non-essential businesses comes down to the reality on the ground, including the number of cases of COVID-19 in the region and whether the area is seeing community transmission.

Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam said it may also come down to a particular health system's ability to deal with an outbreak. A weaker health system may take a more cautious approach, for example, she said.

Beatty suggested a national message might still be more helpful, even if it leaves room for exceptions. At least then the information would be coming from one source, he explained.

He did complement the federal government though on its open lines of communication with the business community.

And to some extent, he said it will be up to businesses to do the right thing for their customers and employees.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 18, 2020.

Remains of Michigan soldier who went missing during Korean War identified

A Michigan soldier has been accounted for 69 years after he was reported missing in action during the Korean War.

The remains of Army Pfc. John Albert Shelemba, 19, of Hamtramck were identified in September; he was reported missing in action on July 20, 1950, while defending Taejon, South Korea, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) said Monday.

Shelemba was a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division.

After the war, the American Graves Registration Services worked to recover the remains of U.S. soldiers killed on South Korean battlefields. Shelemba's body was recovered but couldn't be identified, and he was subsequently buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.

More news on freep.com:

YouTube artist Jeffree Star donates $20,000 for Michigan man's funeral

Mount Clemens soldier killed in World War II returns to Michigan after more than 75 years

The DPAA disinterred his remains in October 2018. Scientists used dental, anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence, to identify Shelemba.

The DPAA said 7,602 Americans remain unaccounted for after the Korean War. Shelemba’s name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, where a rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate that he has been accounted for.

He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. The date has yet to be determined.

Angie Jackson covers the challenges of formerly incarcerated citizens as a corps member with Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Click here to support her work. Contact Angie: ajackson@freepress.com; 313-222-1850. Follow her on Twitter: @AngieJackson23

Instruction: Retrieve semantically similar text.


Question:
The Single Best Strategy To Use For backsplash ideas for white kitchen cabinets

The Single Best Strategy To Use For backsplash ideas for white kitchen cabinets

Blog Article

Travertine may possibly sound like a cloth that you'd probably use as part of your kitchen, basement or entrance porch, but travertine tiles can be quite a good modern day look with your bathroom.

On Decoist we feature a variety of ideas to make your bathrooms, bedrooms, kitchens or offices glance prettier. We convey you household furniture and lighting ideas, houses All people would desire of and luxurious Qualities that defy the earth crisis.

A gray subway tiled kitchen backsplash tile appears to be like good with white kitchens in addition, specially when teamed with equally hued appliances.

You may mix and match shades For those who have a straightforward kitchen (an all-white one particular for example) of you may Opt for only one coloration when you need to introduce texture.

Lots of application advancement is finished overseas lately, but the need for high-degree Laptop gurus capable of tie systems together is still potent.

I'm installing 3/4 inch tile being a backsplash behind my assortment. My stove sits almost flush to the wall and if I had been to set up the backsplash behind the stove it would make the variety adhere out with the cabinets.

Shiny black tiles seem terrific with contrasting white grout to really make them pop. They go properly with gray kitchen cabinetry as well as with white kitchen units alike.

With the countless variety of decorative choices obtainable, determining which look is great for your Room is often rather too much to handle. Start off your get it done on your own collection approach by searching our on-line Picture galleries and showrooms stuffed with the best 2018 kitchen designs featuring wonderful backsplashes for inspiration of how to include this investigate your very own Area.

Time and energy to get creative! You don’t have to spend hrs or times setting up a fresh backsplash from scratch. Whether or not you’re restricted by time and tight spending budget or else you’re hunting for a Inventive solution, look into the backsplash ideas that adhere to.

The appearance might be cleaned with a moist cloth, but never rub with all sorts of abrasives which can injury the can. Tin is gentle, really should be viewed as when managing to avoid sagging on the tiles.

The two most significant points to take into account when setting up this straightforward get it done your self job, are the way to seamlessly combine the design into your present layout and décor scheme in addition to what supplies will reach that glance.

The era of massive details is simply getting going, with quite a few corporations wanting to tap extensive new databases to collect a lot more information on their clients, their competitors, more info and even them selves.

This light coloured stone mosaic kitchen backsplash has simply enough hints of brown to complement the dark brown cabinets. The dark wood cabinets element silver handles which match into the colour plan nicely. Determine what’s trending in house décor now.

The long, reduced dimensions of 2x10 white glass rectangles — and the fact that they run only partway up the wall — lend additional horizontal focus to the kitchen's modern, small profile design.

How painting cabinet veneer can Save You Time, Stress, and Money.

How painting cabinet veneer can Save You Time, Stress, and Money.

Blog Article

Also, bear in mind that goof off also can make a PAINT STRIPPER which is not similar to the oopsie remover–the paint stripper is amazingly caustic and burns similar to a Reside coal if it will get on your skin, and will not immediately prevent burning even when h2o is applied to your skin!!!

LED lighting has experienced a very fantastic operate as homeowners adjust above from traditional incandescent bulbs. It provides good lighting for actions, comes in a variety of colors plus the bulbs past for a really long time. This has made it a favorite selection for beneath-cabinet lighting. Less than cabinet LED lights appear in various varieties including pucks, strips, and bars. When mounted beneath the wall cabinetry, they help include mild for the Operating place along with Enhance the General ambiance.

In its place, paint the hook 1st, then proceed to the rest of the door. Then go back to the hook region, and operate the artist brush in excess of the pooled paint. Use that paint to go more than the hook once again.

You mean, you happen to be acquiring stains get into the finish on the paint instead of come off? I’ve by no means had a difficulty with that utilizing latex or sealing chalk paint with the polycrylic. I do think The real key is acquiring sufficient paint on plus a tough paint which often can withstand scrubbing.

Paint the cabinet bins, drawers and doors with the oil-primarily based primer utilizing a nylon/polyester brush. I love to do the backs with the doors and drawers initially. Enable them dry, then convert them more than and prime the fronts. Make sure to paint during the direction in the grain of the wood.

Centered on performance, currently’s kitchens are increasingly being made with big single bowl sinks or with various sinks. Considering the fact that handwashing dishes isn’t a regular event in homes nowadays, the necessity for a double bowl sink is less important. In part, the farmhouse style has grown to be extremely well-known. Farmhouse sinks are well-liked mostly for their significant deep sizes, that enables For additional comfy use, and magnificence. If your apron entrance sink doesn’t in shape into your design, then opt for only one bowl undermount sink in the exact same width to be a double bowl.

Open shelves seem attractive inside the Journals, but not essentially a “have to-have” for many homeowners. Lets encounter it, You will need to have a matching set of dinnerware or specialty items you need on display. But with good Corporation and the appropriate type of shelves, you can produce a definitely browse this site unique cutting edge model for your kitchen. Open kitchen shelves as an alternative to wall cabinetry has started to become a fair hotter development for 2018. Whilst you could obtain it challenging to go without your beloved shut door wall cabinetry, open shelving has loads of Gains.

Wonderful enable complete data below. Could you make use of your process of refinishing home furnishings and use the Benjamin Moore Advance paint for your kitchen cabinets as well? thanks!

That is so helpful and also the timing is ideal—I’ve been pondering more and more about painting our oak cabinets white. My one dilemma is: for those who ended up to get it done again (heaven forbid!), which process would you utilize?

Seems wonderful! My daughter is going to be painting her cabinets shortly, I'll make sure to share your submit with her. Thank you!

So it was out the window with The 1st step, and on to step two: deglossing. I just applied some rubber gloves as well as a rag to use the deglosser after which let all the things dry just a little so it wasn’t soaking moist right before shifting onto action a few: implementing 1 thin coat of spray primer.

Hold the doors and drawers flat and amount until They may be dry into the touch. Then hold them to dry wholly.

Thanks for this type of very well considered out and handy put up! I’m so impressed by how detail-oriented and thorough you are.

I’ll should explore that! I realize it would need to generally be greatly thinned down, but Possibly I’d use less of it in that situation.

That lovely fresh tree in your living room has just about run its course for the season, so you can now think about composting or chipping it.

While some municipalities offer curbside tree pickups on garbage days — typically on only one day — many also have fundraising chipping services.

Most chipping services are available only for the first week or two in January and there usually is a limit to the number of trees you can chip per household.

Chipping services are available at these locations: Abbotsford, Burnaby, Chilliwack, Coquitlam, Delta, Langley, Maple Ridge, New Westminster, North Vancouver, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Richmond, Surrey, Vancouver, West Vancouver and White Rock.

Information, hours and restriction information is available for chipping at familyfuncanada.com.

You can compost your tree at Net Zero Waste in Abbotsford for a $4 donation fee.

The Recycling Council of B.C. has information and specifics for chipping in each regional district in B.C. – and a handy location tool. For specific recycling information for the holiday season, check rcbc.ca/recyclepedia or call the Recycling Hotline 604-732-9253, 1-800-667-4321.

Federal judge to block latest North Carolina voter ID mandate

GOP leaders in charge of the Legislature have been trying for most of the decade to advance voter ID.

National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) on Wednesday advised athletes 'not to indulge in doping and be careful with their food intake and supplements' this year to promote fair play.

Taking to Twitter, NADA India wrote, "From this New Year onwards, we advise our athletes not to indulge in doping and be careful with their food intake, supplements, etc for their respective sport. PlayFair."

On December 28, weightlifter Seema was banned by the NADA for four years for a doping violation. The verdict comes following the hearing on her positive test for banned performance-enhancing drugs.

"Presence of prohibited substances were found in her system during an ongoing Championship to enhance her performance which amounted to a clear cut case of cheating and outright violation of National Anti-Doping rules," the official statement had said.

Her dope sample was collected this year during the 34th Women National Weightlifting Championship held in Vishakhapatnam by NADA dope control officer.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

(MENAFN- IMARC Group) According to the latest report by IMARC Group, titled 'Digital Pathology Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2020-2025,' the global digital pathology market size reached US$ 520.6 Million in 2019. Digital pathology refers to the technique of analyzing high-resolution, digitally scanned histology images generated from a digitized glass slide. The specialized equipment was first used to capture images from a microscope onto photographic plates. In recent years, digital pathology has rapidly gained momentum as this technology helps in reducing laboratory expenses, improving operational efficiency, enhancing productivity, and improving treatment decisions and patient care.

Request Free Sample Report: https://www.imarcgroup.com/digital-pathology-market/requestsample

Global Digital Pathology Market Trends:

Digital pathology allows improved analysis, offers live zoom and multiple angle views, provides a dashboard view of data and annotations, and reduces errors by eliminating breakage and minimizing risk and misidentification. Apart from this, it is increasingly used by top clinical research organizations (CROs) and large biopharmaceutical manufacturers to streamline drug development processes in discovery, pre-clinical and clinical trials. This, along with the advancements in technology and software applications, such as the whole slide imaging technique, and LIS/LIMS interfacing, and high-speed networking, has fully integrated digital pathology into pathology workflows. Moreover, many leading companies are entering into a partnership to gain more profits. For instance, Huron Digital Pathology has collaborated with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) on artificial intelligence-based image search. This helps in presenting a pathologist-centric approach to image retrieval at pathology informatics. Looking forward, the market value is projected to reach US$ 984.4 Million by 2025, registering a CAGR of 11.2 % during 2020-2025.

Market Breakup by Type:

•Human Pathology

•Veterinary Pathology

Market Breakup by Product:

•Scanners

•Software

•Storage Systems

•Communication Systems

Market Breakup by Application:

•Training and Education

•Consulting Services

•Intraoperative Consultation

•Routine Diagnostic Consultation Services

•Others

Market Breakup by End-User:

•Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies

•Hospitals and Reference Laboratories

•Academic & Research Institutes

Market Summary:

Region-wise, the market has been segmented into North America (the United States and Canada) Asia Pacific (China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia and others), Europe (Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Italy, Russia and others), Middle East and Africa (Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and others ), and Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Columbia, Chile, Peru and others). The competitive landscape of the market has been examined, with some of the key players being:

•3DHISTECH Ltd.

•Apollo Enterprise Imaging Corp

•Corista LLC

•Hamamatsu Photonics

•K. K.

•Huron Digital Pathology

•Indica Labs

•Koninklijke Philips N.V.

•Leica Biosystems Nussloch GmbH

•Objective Pathology Services

•Ventana Medical Systems

•Visiopharm A/S

•XIFIN

Ask Analyst and Download Full Report with TOC & List of Figure: https://www.imarcgroup.com/digital-pathology-market

About Us

IMARC Group is a leading market research company that offers management strategy and market research worldwide. We partner with clients in all sectors and regions to identify their highest-value opportunities, address their most critical challenges, and transform their businesses.

Contact Us

IMARC Group

Tel: +1-631-791-1145

Email:

Website: https://www.imarcgroup.com

Follow us on twitter: @imarcglobal

MENAFN1703202000709559ID1099866092

Kindly Share This Story:

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Ogun State Command, on Wednesday confirmed the death of one person in a road accident along the Ijebu Ode-Ore Expressway.

The state FRSC Sector Commander, Mr. Clement Oladele, disclosed this in Ota.

Oladele said the lone accident happened at 11:25 p.m. on Tuesday.

According to him, a Toyota Sienna Bus, with registration number, FKJ 453XW, was on a high speed when it tyres burst, lost control and somersaulted into the bush.

He said nine persons – five men, three women and a female child, were involved in the accident.

He said: “The corpse of the female victim has been deposited at the mortuary of the Ijebu Ode General Hospital, while two of the survivors are also receiving treatment at the same hospital.

“The third survivor who is a child was taken to Ise Oluwa Clinic J3 by a good samaritan before the arrival of the FRSC rescue team.”

The sector commander admonished motorists to desist from using imported used tyres and ensure that they check the expiring date on the tyres before purchasing them to avoid unnecessary loss of lives and property on the highway. (NAN)

Vanguard

Kindly Share This Story:

Instruction: Retrieve semantically similar text.


Question:
MIAMI — John Harbaugh beat the 49ers in their last Super Bowl, and he is one of only three coaches who beat them this season. How would he play it if his Baltimore Ravens and not the Kansas City Chiefs advanced to Sunday’s Super Bowl LIV?

Let him count the ways, as the NFL’s AP Coach of the Year explained on the NFL Honors show’s red carpet Saturday:

1. “You have to play a perfect football game.”

2. “You can’t turn the ball over.”

3. “You’ve got to keep them bottled up in their end.”

4. “You’ve got to stop the run.”

5. “You’ve got to keep your eyes on the luggage. In other words, you’ve got to keep your eyes on your guys, because they’re going to be running across the field with a great deal of speed and Jimmy (Garoppolo) can hit them. They’re a tough team to defend.”

Harbaugh’s Ravens beat the 49ers 20-17 on Dec. 1, and he beat the 49ers seven years ago in the Super Bowl when they were coached by his brother Jim.

“I wish it would have been us winning one year and him winning the next year,” John Harbaugh said. “As great as it felt for us and our team, I felt bad for him and his family. You want to see him do well.

“Jim’s an amazing coach. He did an amazing job. He really put the 49ers back on the map and helped them build that stadium.”

Jim Harbaugh nearly did lead the 49ers back to the Super Bowl only to lose in the 2013 season’s NFC Championship Game, his penultimate season before leaving to coach at his alma mater, Michigan.

“He’s done a great job everywhere he’s been. That (Har-Bowl) is a great memory. It’ll never happen again, I think. Maybe it will. It’s still special.”

MARIUCCI MARVELS AT OFFENSE

Steve Mariucci, the 49ers’ coach from 1997-2002, said the score could dictate what plan of attack the 49ers deploy.

“Jimmy G’s going to have to throw it more than eight times,” Mariucci said referring to Garoppolo’s 6-of-8 passing stats in the NFC Championship win. “But they run the ball so darn well.”

Mariucci took the 49ers to the playoffs in 4 of 6 seasons, and he admires how well Shanahan has converted the franchise back into a contender.

Former #49ers coach @SteveMariucci is pulling for Lynch and BY. Funny how that works out with Lynch as his Bucs ended Mooch’s tenure in 2002 playoffs with 31-6 loss pic.twitter.com/ftiEmkB3Yf — Cam Inman (@CamInman) February 1, 2020

“I love the fact they came from 4-12 last year,” Mariucci said. “Now, your quarterback gets hurt (as Garoppolo did in 2018 Week 3). We’ve all seen that before: I remember when Steve Young got hurt. It’s hard to lose not only your quarterback but your mojo.

“I try to look at the bright side of things. Had Jimmy G not gotten hurt, they don’t get to draft Bosa and they’re drafting later and I don’t know who they draft.” Related Articles Close calls don’t go 49ers way in Super Bowl LIV loss to Kansas City

Five Super Bowl LIV plays that cost 49ers a victory over Kansas City

What might’ve been: 49ers’ would-be unsung heroes in wake of Super Bowl collapse

49ers report card: Who failed most in Super Bowl collapse to Chiefs?

Video: Bay Area News Group reporters Cam Inman and Dieter Kurtenbach break down the San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl loss

COWHER SEES DIFFERENCES

Recently elected Hall of Fame coach Bill Cowher gushed over what a great matchup this is.

“It’s a contrast of offenses. You have the (49ers’) running game against the (Chiefs’) passing game,” Cowher said. “These are the two best teams in the league.

“I love the fact there’s so many different ways of doing it and you’re seeing it in their journeys to this game. It’s going to be a back and forth game.”

Cowher wouldn’t reveal his pick.

“San Francisco can play a shootout. They showed it against New Orleans (a 48-46 win Dec. 8). If you don’t stop the run, they won’t quit running. I love their style.

“But I like Andy (Reid). He’s going to want to throw it around. It’s going to be a fast field and a great matchup.”

Opinion: Balance is why the San Francisco 49ers will win Super Bowl LIV

Show Caption Hide Caption Exclusive: Jerry Rice, Steve Young remember their dominant Super Bowl performance SportsPulse: In an exclusive one-on-one with USA TODAY, 49ers legends Jerry Rice and Steve Young recall their record setting Super Bowl performance 25 years ago. USA TODAY

MIAMI — Maybe this is the time that Patrick Mahomes takes his much-anticipated seat on the NFL throne.

Maybe the long-awaited hour is near for Andy Reid to finally raise the Lombardi Trophy.

Or maybe not.

The San Francisco 49ers will win Super Bowl LIV because they are the most complete team in football.

Besides, how many times have we seen this type of classic matchup with a high-powered offense facing a ferocious defense? Yes, defense typically wins the championship.

No, the 49ers defense, powered by the NFL’s best D-line and bolstered on the back end by savvy cornerback Richard Sherman, won’t totally extinguish a Kansas City Chiefs offense triggered by one of the game’s most electric players. Somehow, they must counter the notion that speed kills. The need for heat on Mahomes is obvious. But even with that, the magic of KC’s QB is always an X-factor.

In other words, it won’t be pretty or textbook-preserved. Yet when it’s over, the 49ers could be the Super Bowl champions – like Philly, in LII -- who allow more than 30 points and still wins. As long as that defense can make a stop when it needs it the most.

The 49ers will win because they, too, are capable of lighting up the scoreboard.

THE OTHER SIDE: One big reason why the Chiefs will be the champs

MORE PREDICTIONS: Full staff picks for Super Bowl, MVP and more

PROP BETS: The best, craziest and most offbeat Super Bowl wagers

Balance is the ticket for Kyle Shanahan’s team. The 49ers defense is complemented by a sophisticated offense that can control the tempo with a potent, zone-blocking running game – yet is also versatile enough to morph into a unit that can roll with Jimmy Garoppolo’s arm.

Let’s not forget that the same 49ers who ran all over the Packers in the NFC title game (285 yards on 42 rushes) also won a shootout at New Orleans in December when Garoppolo threw for 349 yards and 4 TDs. It’s on tape. They can do it.

It might take the best game of Garoppolo’s life – I’m talking no-mistake efficient, not necessarily record-breaking yardage – to out-point Mahomes. But it’s a team game. Shanahan would be perfectly fine if they can somehow repeat the type of punishing rushing game the 49ers demonstrated in the two NFC playoff victories with 471 yards on 89 runs in the two games. Although Kansas City’s defense has improved as the season has progressed, and held NFL rushing king Derrick Henry to 69 yards in the AFC title game, the challenge will be greater at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday because it is on the wrong side of the strength vs. weakness variable. Regardless, the 49ers can strike in more ways than one.

IS THAT GRONK?: No, but this 49ers star could easily take over Super Bowl

MORE SUPER BOWL: Everything you need for the big game

Presumably, Shanahan learned something about situational play-calling during his Super Bowl appearance with the Falcons in LI, when New England’s ability to come back from a 28-3 deficit was enabled by risking play-calling that backfired, among other reasons. This time, he should know when common-sense play-calling will work, even if it’s not sexy.

No team in the NFL this season that went through a gauntlet as difficult as the 49ers faced. That’s a factor, too. They are battle tested.

Here’s to thinking the 49ers will pass the final exam to claim the franchise’s sixth Super Bowl crown. And the wait for Mahomes and Reid to bring Kansas City its first NFL championship in more than 50 years will carry over to next season. Maybe the Chiefs are next year’s champs.

If you love talking football, we have the perfect spot for you. Join our Facebook Group, The Ruling Off the Field, to engage in friendly debate and conversation with fellow football fans and our NFL insiders.

Top LeT Militant, Aide Get Lifer In Murder Case

SRINAGAR – Two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives, including a Pakistani, were sentenced to life imprisonment by a local court here for killing a civilian in Kashmir’s Sopore district.

The civilian, Suhail Ahamd Sofi, was killed by the two militants in March 2013. Sofi was a resident of Dobgah village in Sopore.

Senior police officer Imtiyaz Hussain tweeted: “The boy Feroz by name was killed by militants in a mosque and a secessionist leader back then had issued a statement saying that boy’s life should have been spared if he had taken refuge in mosque. Means otherwise he was Wajib-ul-Qatal (gallows bird).”

Hussain, who was then the Superintendent of Police in Sopore, hailed the police for its investigation that led to the conviction of the two militants.

According to the police, during the course of investigation, both the militants were identified and arrested.

One of them is Naveed Baloch, who hails from Multan in Pakistan. Baloch had been operating in Sopore area as a commander of the LeT. His accomplice, Feroz Dar, a resident of Sopore, was also arrested for his involvement in the killing of Sofi.

The police said in a statement on Tuesday that circumstantial evidences collected from the scene of crime and other evidences collected by the investigating officers proved crucial in their conviction.

The court convicted both the militants and sentenced them to life imprisonment.

Brisbane - Venus Williams pulled out of the season-opening Brisbane International on Wednesday after a "setback" during practice.

The American veteran said she still hoped to play at the Adelaide International later this month ahead of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year.

"Unfortunately I will not be starting my season in Brisbane due to an unexpected setback during my training," the 39-year-old seven-time major winner said in a statement.

"I look forward to being in Australia in the new year and will see everyone in Adelaide."

The tournament, featuring a strong field including world number one Ashleigh Barty and Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka, gets underway on January 6.

Organisers will announce a replacement for Williams on Thursday.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque complex was most frequently raided in 2019 by Jewish settlers, according to the Cairo-based Al-Azhar University.

The university's observation unit of the fight against extremism stated in a report, "Violations toward the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which was raided by 30,416 occupants under Israeli police protection in 2019, have reached a record level."

The report further underlined that raids and gradual occupation could not be accepted and that "Zionism is part of a policy to Judaize occupied Palestine."

Most recently 407 Israeli settlers raided the Islamic holy site in mid-December, according to a report released by the Palestine Information Centre last week.

The area which Al-Aqsa is built upon is referred to as Temple Mount by the Jews. It is central to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a flashpoint issue, with Palestinians fearing Israel may one day seek to assert further control over the site. It is located in east Jerusalem, which was annexed in 1980 by Israeli forces under the claim that the city serves as the capital of the Jewish state, a move never recognized by the international community. It is the third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina and is the most sacred site in Judaism. Jews are allowed on the premises to visit but not to pray, to avoid provoking tensions.

Muslims believe that the first qiblah, the direction which Muslims turn to during prayers, was Al-Aqsa until it was designated as Mecca. Moreover, the existence of the Qubbat-us Sahra within the compound makes it more special as it is believed that the Prophet Muhammad started his spiritual journey to the heavens (miraj) from there.

Since Israel occupied Jerusalem in 1967, the conflict has continued between Palestinians and Israelis, as the latter believe that the holy temple of Solomon is beneath the mosque. There are several rumors claiming that some Israelis were digging tunnels to reach the temple's ruins.

At least nine people died as Jakarta was hit with severe flooding over the New Year.

Torrential rain soaked tens of thousands of revelers as they waited for New Year's Eve fireworks in Indonesia's capital.The rains led to flooding across the city.

National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Agus Wibowo said the monsoon rains and rising rivers had submerged at least 90 neighborhoods.

Thousands of people were displaced by flooding and a domestic airport was closed after water levels reached up to 3 meters (10 feet) in several places.

Watch video 01:58 Share Indonesia: Where climate change is real Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3U46s Indonesia: Where climate change is real

Wibobo said some of the deaths were due to hypothermia, but also included a 16-year-old high school student who was electrocuted by a power line.

Indonesia's state electricity utility said it had switched off power to hundreds of districts to prevent further electrocutions.

Authorities have deployed about 120,000 rescuers to help evacuate those affected and install mobile water pumps. Further flooding is expected with downpours forecast for the coming day.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan told reporters his administration would push ahead with infrastructure projects on two major rivers, including a dam and a sluice, to prevent flooding in the city of 30 million people.

This was the worst flooding since 2013 when dozens of people were killed in monsoon rains.

aw/mm (AP, AFP, Reuters)

Every evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.

We've counted the votes and the 2019 winners of the Battle for Guilford's Best are inside!

Instruction: Retrieve semantically similar text.