Novocure Announces Over 100 Physicians in the U.S. Now Certified to Prescribe Optune Lua – Business Wire

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ST. HELIER, Jersey--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Novocure (NASDAQ: NVCR) today announced that over 100 physicians from more than 50 cancer treatment centers in the U.S. are now certified to prescribe Optune Lua, which is approved for the first-line treatment of unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), in combination with pemetrexed and platinum-based chemotherapy.

This is a disease with a poor prognosis, so being able to offer patients a therapy that results in excellent response rates with minimal toxicity is exciting, said Matthew T. Ballo, M.D., FACR, Professor and Chair, Department of Radiation Oncology, West Cancer Center & Research Institute in Germantown, Tennessee. We as clinicians can have a big impact on our patients lives by making them aware of this important new technology.

We are proud of the progress we have made in the last year in making Optune Lua accessible to patients, said Pritesh Shah, Novocures Chief Commercial Officer. We continue to work diligently to expand the number of centers that can provide Tumor Treating Fields therapy to patients facing this devastating and aggressive disease.

Of the more than 50 certified centers, 28 are now offering Optune Lua to MPM patients. The remaining centers are in the process of completing all regulatory requirements.

For a complete list of centers where Optune can be prescribed, please visit OptuneLuaCenters.com.

About Optune Lua

Optune Lua is a noninvasive, antimitotic cancer treatment for MPM. Optune Lua delivers Tumor Treating Fields to the region of the tumor.

Tumor Treating Fields is a cancer therapy that uses electric fields tuned to specific frequencies to disrupt cell division, inhibiting tumor growth and causing affected cancer cells to die. Tumor Treating Fields does not stimulate or heat tissue and targets dividing cancer cells of a specific size. Tumor Treating Fields causes minimal damage to healthy cells. Mild to moderate skin irritation is the most common side effect reported. Tumor Treating Fields is approved in certain countries for the treatment of adults with glioblastoma and in the U.S. for mesothelioma, two of the most difficult cancer types to treat. The therapy shows promise in multiple solid tumor types including some of the most aggressive forms of cancer.

Caution: Federal law restricts this device to sale by or on the order of a physician. Humanitarian Device. Authorized by Federal Law for use in the treatment of adult patients with unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic, malignant pleural mesothelioma concurrently with pemetrexed and platinum-based chemotherapy. The effectiveness of this device for this use has not been demonstrated.

Approved Indications

Optune Lua is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic, malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) to be used concurrently with pemetrexed and platinum-based chemotherapy.

Important Safety Information

Contraindications

Do not use Optune Lua in patients with implantable electronic medical devices such as pacemakers or implantable automatic defibrillators, etc. Use of Optune Lua together with implanted electronic devices has not been tested and may lead to malfunctioning of the implanted device.

Do not use Optune Lua in patients known to be sensitive to conductive hydrogels. Skin contact with the gel used with Optune Lua may commonly cause increased redness and itching, and may rarely lead to severe allergic reactions such as shock and respiratory failure.

Warnings and Precautions

Optune Lua can only be prescribed by a healthcare provider that has completed the required certification training provided by Novocure.

The most common (10%) adverse events involving Optune Lua in combination with chemotherapy were anemia, constipation, nausea, asthenia, chest pain, fatigue, medical device site reaction, pruritus, and cough.

Other potential adverse effects associated with the use of Optune Lua include: treatment related skin toxicity, allergic reaction to the plaster or to the gel, electrode overheating leading to pain and/or local skin burns, infections at sites of electrode contact with the skin, local warmth and tingling sensation beneath the electrodes, muscle twitching, medical device site reaction and skin breakdown/skin ulcer.

If the patient has an underlying serious skin condition on the treated area, evaluate whether this may prevent or temporarily interfere with Optune Lua treatment.

Do not prescribe Optune Lua for patients that are pregnant, you think might be pregnant or are trying to get pregnant, as the safety and effectiveness of Optune Lua in these populations have not been established.

Please visit http://www.optunelua.com to see Optune Lua Instructions For Use (IFU) for complete information regarding the devices indications, contraindications, warnings, and precautions.

About Novocure

Novocure is a global oncology company working to extend survival in some of the most aggressive forms of cancer through the development and commercialization of its innovative therapy, Tumor Treating Fields. Tumor Treating Fields is a cancer therapy that uses electric fields tuned to specific frequencies to disrupt solid tumor cancer cell division. Novocures commercialized products are approved in certain countries for the treatment of adult patients with glioblastoma and in the U.S. for the treatment of adult patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Novocure has ongoing or completed clinical trials investigating Tumor Treating Fields in brain metastases, non-small cell lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer, liver cancer and gastric cancer.

Headquartered in Jersey, Novocure has U.S. operations in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Malvern, Pennsylvania and New York City. Additionally, the company has offices in Germany, Switzerland, Japan and Israel. For additional information about the company, please visit http://www.novocure.com or follow us at http://www.twitter.com/novocure.

Forward-Looking Statements

In addition to historical facts or statements of current condition, this press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements provide Novocures current expectations or forecasts of future events. These may include statements regarding anticipated scientific progress on its research programs, clinical trial progress, development of potential products, interpretation of clinical results, prospects for regulatory approval, manufacturing development and capabilities, market prospects for its products, coverage, collections from third-party payers and other statements regarding matters that are not historical facts. You may identify some of these forward-looking statements by the use of words in the statements such as anticipate, estimate, expect, project, intend, plan, believe or other words and terms of similar meaning. Novocures performance and financial results could differ materially from those reflected in these forward-looking statements due to general financial, economic, regulatory and political conditions as well as more specific risks and uncertainties facing Novocure such as those set forth in its Report on Form 10-K filed on February 27, 2020, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Given these risks and uncertainties, any or all of these forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect. Therefore, you should not rely on any such factors or forward-looking statements. Furthermore, Novocure does not intend to update publicly any forward-looking statement, except as required by law. Any forward-looking statements herein speak only as of the date hereof. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 permits this discussion.

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Novocure Announces Over 100 Physicians in the U.S. Now Certified to Prescribe Optune Lua - Business Wire

What Is a Blockchain? – Digital Trends

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Cryptocurrency? Blockchain investing? Bitcoin? These are all buzzwords that seem like a millennial get-rich-quick scheme, but Blockchain is a technology that could revolutionize the global economy in almost every aspect, from healthcare to politics and thats just the tip of the iceberg.

Whether youre simply looking to invest in Bitcoin, trade some Ethereum, or are just intrigued about what the heck a blockchain actuallyis, youve come to the right place.

Anthony WallaceAFP/Getty Images

Whileblockchain technology isnt simple when you dig into the nitty-gritty, the basic idea isnt too hard to follow. Its effectively a database thats validated by a wider community, rather than a central authority. Its a collection of records that a crowd oversees and maintains, rather than relying on a single entity, like a bank or government, which most likely hosts data on a particular server. A physical database kept on paper could never be managed by tens of thousands of peers, but thats where computers, and the internet, come in.

Each block represents a number of transactional records, and the chain componentlinks them all together with a hash function. As records are created, they are confirmed by a distributed network of computers and paired up with the previous entry in the chain, therebycreating a chain of blocks, or a blockchain.

The entire blockchain is retained on this large network of computers, meaning that no one person has control over its history. Thats an important component, because it certifies everything that has happened in the chain prior, and it means that no one person can go back and change things. It makes the blockchain a public ledger that cannot be easily tampered with, giving it a built-in layer of protection that isnt possible with a standard, centralized database of information.

While traditionally we have needed these central authorities to trust one another, and fulfill the needs of contracts, the blockchain makes it possible to have our peers guarantee that in an automated, secure fashion.

Thats the innovation of blockchain, and its why you may hear it used to reference things other than Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Though generallynot used for it yet, blockchain could be used to maintain a variety of information. An organization called Follow My Vote is attempting to use it for an electronic voting system thats more secure than modern versions, and healthcare providers might one day use it to handle patient records.

Although blockchain technology has only been effectively employed in the past decade, its roots can be traced back far further. A 1976 paper, New Directions in Cryptography, discussed the idea ofa mutual distributed ledger, which is what the blockchain effectivelyacts as. That was later built upon in the 1990s with a paper entitled How to Time-Stamp a Digital Document.It would take another few decades and the combination of powerful modern computers with the clever implementation with a cryptocurrency, to make these ideas viable.

Data security is failing and there has to be a better system. Blockchain creates a secure, unalterable public record and is poised to dramatically improve the world around you, from voting systems to rental contracts.

In order to validate the blocks in the same manneras a traditional private ledger, the blockchain employs complicated calculations. That, in turn, requires powerful computers, which are expensive to own, operate, and keep cool. Thats part of the reason that Bitcoin acted as sucha great starting point for the introduction of blockchain technology, because it could reward those taking part in the process with something of financial value.

Bitcoin ultimately made its first appearance in 2009, bringing together the classic idea of the mutual distributed ledger, the blockchain, with an entirely digital currency that wasnt controlled by any one individual or organization. Developed by the still anonymous Satoshi Nakamoto, the cryptocurrency allowed for a method of conducting transactions while protecting them from interference by the use of the blockchain.

Although Bitcoin, and alternative currencies, all utilize blockchain technology, they do so in differing manners. Since Bitcoin was first invented it has undergone a few changes at the behest of its core developers and the wider community, and other alt-coins have been created to improve upon Bitcoin, operating in slightly different ways.

In the case of Bitcoin, a new block in its blockchain is created roughly every 10 minutes. That block verifies and records, or certifies new transactions that have taken place. In order for that to happen, miners utilize powerful computing hardware to provide a proof-of-work a calculation that effectivelycreates a number which verifies the block and the transactions it contains. Several of those confirmations must be receivedbefore a Bitcoin transaction can be considered effectivelycomplete, even if to the sender and receiver the Bitcoin is transferred near-instantaneously.

This is where Bitcoin has run into problems in recent years. As the number of Bitcoin transactions increases, the relatively hard 10-minute block creation time means that it can take longer to confirm all of the transactions and backlogs can occur. This has lead to the creation of certain off chain solutions like the Lightning Network, which validate transactions less frequently, to provide faster transactions without slowing the rate of confirmations.

Certain alt-coins, geared towards faster transactions, dont have such a problem with scaling. WithLitecoin its more like two and a half minutes,while with Ethereum the block time is just 10-20 seconds, so confirmations tend to happen much faster. There are obvious benefits of such a change, though by having blocks generate at a faster rate there is a greater chance of errors occurring. If 51 percent of computers working on the blockchain record an error, it becomes near-permanent, and generating faster blocks means fewer systems working on them.

Blockchain technology has a lot of exciting potential, but there are some serious considerations that need to be addressed before we can say its the technology of the future.

Remember all that computing power required to verify transactions? Those computers need electricity. Bitcoin is a poster child of the problematic escalation in power demanded from a large blockchain network using that sort of proof-of-work model. Although exact statistics on the power requirements of Bitcoin are difficult to nail down, its footprint isregularly compared to small countries. Thats not appealing given todays concerns about climate change, the availability of power in developing countries, and reliability of power in developing nations.

Transaction speed is also an issue. As we noted above, blocks in a chain must be verified by the distributed network, and that can take time. A lot of time. As of April 2020, the average confirmation time for a Bitcoin transaction can be anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours, depending on whether you pay a premium transaction fee or not. Ethereum is much more efficient, but its average time is around 15 seconds but even that would be an eternity in a checkout line at your local grocery store. Blockchains used for purposes other than cryptocurrency could run into similar problems. You can imagine how frustrating it would be to wait 15 seconds every time you wanted to change a database entry.

These problems will need to be resolved as blockchain becomes more popular. Still, considering were less than a decade on from the blockchains first implementation, it seems likely that were just seeing the start of adoption for this new idea.

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Blockchain in Healthcare Industry and why we need to use it – hackernoon.com

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Blockchain has a straightforward concept. All records stored in the blockchain and not saved on a single central storage unit. Multiple computers are running in the network called nodes and having a copy of all the blockchain data. Therefore, when something is updated on the blockchain, all network nodes are informed about it at once.

This is what we mean by decentralization. There is no longer a single source responsible for all data.

Okay, that sounds good, but what are the challenges and how the blockchain can solve them?

In today's healthcare sector, all records are stored in central data stores via excel tables. The situation is the same in the health sector, carried out by both state and private companies. Therefore, it is effortless to quickly change this data because someone who can access central data stores can change this data efficiently.

Likewise, all the information about a newly invented drug is stored in the central warehouses on computers. The fact that these central repositories become unusable causes all formulas and information to disappear immediately.

But thanks to the blockchain, thanks to thousands of nodes working in different parts of the world, all this information is stored in a hackable, unchangeable, and unalterable way. In this way, health and medicine information is protected with maximum security, unlike central data systems.

Pharmaceutical companies need to deal with so many health and pharma sources; it is clear that there is a problem with data collection, processing, and ultimately with analytics.

For beginners, some essential data may fall from cracks during the first phase, diluting insights from analytics.

As if this isn't bad enough, harmonizing data from different sources can be quite time-consuming. Moreover, the long analytical process may not find insights that can help pharma.

It is clear, however, that the entire data processing process for pharmaceutical companies should change. After all, managing big datasets is a tough job for both small and large pharmaceutical companies.

Central storage systems have many expenses, like Rent expenses, electricity expenses, inventory expenses, employee expenses, and many more hidden expenses. Also, these expenses are not for one time only; they must be covered continuously.

The same reason lies behind the fact that central data stores can be easily manipulated, because people use it, controlled, and changed.

However, decentralized data stores are not under human control, and they do not need a workforce to work. Thanks to the blockchain and its smart contracts, the entire system operates automatically and is also transparent.

FLETA

The startup will team with clinical experts and practitioners from Seoul's KyungHee University Medical Center to analyze nine years' worth of diabetes clinical data previously collected by the center.

States' desires to use blockchain technology and their efforts to achieve this are great. If the South Korea government accomplishes this, this could be a significant development for the healthcare industry around the world, so that more and more government and hospitals in the world can safely store user and pharma data on the blockchain.

CHAINLINK

"The Chainlink network provides reliable tamper-proof inputs and outputs for complex smart contracts on any blockchain."

Decentralized applications often require external data existing outside the blockchain to execute successfully, for example, financial market data for decentralized finance (DeFi) applications.

LINK is providing external data to smart contracts securely and reliably to match the underlying blockchain's security properties is a technical challenge, often called "the oracle problem."

This project is one of the most prestigious projects of the last years in terms of blockchain infrastructure architect. It performs as a price increase, but it also makes a lot of mention with its agreements and partnerships.

Chainlink has a robust infrastructure, and they have a stable place in the ecosystem with its smart contracts technology created over the Ethereum network. Its customers include Google, Binance, and including many more world giants.

Medicalchain

The application called Myclinic.com utilizes Medicalchain technology to provide immediate retrieval of health records, thereby allowing patients to communicate directly with the doctors and share their health records for online consultations.

Giving a patient direct and regular access to their healthcare record and their service provision empowers patients to receive the best possible care.

The project also has some reliable partners like Blockchain Research Institue, Blockchain Policy Initiative, etc.

CONCLUSION

Especially with the DeFi FOMO, blockchain and cryptocurrencies have gained an essential place in the economic system. But the blockchain makes the most of technological opportunities and the broader ecosystem of uses cases waiting for us.

Health, which is one of the most critical sectors in the world, is part of this. While the use of financial instruments is growing at an incredible rate, it is more important than ever to apply blockchain technology to the health sector and change and make the entire system related to health data more robust.

(Disclaimer: The Author is associated with FLETA)

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Institutions Will Drive Mass Adoption of Blockchain in Finance, Says Expert – Cointelegraph

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Benjamin Soh, founder of blockchain development firm STACS, said that institutional players, not business-to-consumer companies, will drive the mass adoption of financial infrastructure built on blockchain technology.

During the Unitize virtual conference, Soh said that if they could bring bank institutions to use the blockchain, millions of bank customers will automatically be a part of the blockchain finance infrastructure without them even knowing.

Providing bank customers with a blockchain-based wallet while still using the traditional payment gateways will be the necessary first step towards bringing the efficiencies of distributed ledger technology to the financial system, Soh added.

Speaking about the development of blockchain-based finance in Singapore, Soh noted that except for Switzerland, there are hardly any other European countries that are as supportive of blockchain finance as Singapore.

According to Soh, Singapore is the closest to fully replacing the current financial infrastructure with one based on distributed ledger technology.

He also highlighted that the governments of other Asian countries like Malaysia, Thailand, China, Japan, and South Korea were taking strong initiatives to bring distributed ledger technology into finance.

Reflecting on a similar point, Vinay Mohan, one of the early members of ConsenSys Singapore, said that the more SMEs and retail users gain access to democratized finance, the more mature Asias financial infrastructure will become.

Mohan stated that due to the complex nature of current banking infrastructure, 70% of South-East Asian SMEs struggle with proper digital financial services and the advent of blockchain and central bank digital currencies may pave the way to deliver banking services to those Asian businesses and users.

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Institutions Will Drive Mass Adoption of Blockchain in Finance, Says Expert - Cointelegraph

Blockchain Professional Questions Why Insurtech Lemonade is Valued at $4 Billion on $26 Million in Revenue – Crowdfund Insider

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Meltem Demirors, the Chief Strategy Officer of CoinShares, an investment company that manages $750 million in assets, and serves as a partner to investors and entrepreneurs focused on the digital asset ecosystem, recently questioned why Insurtech Lemonade (NYSE:LMND) is valued at around $4 billion on $26 million in revenue.

Demirors noted:

I love me some Fintech IPOs but a 153x revenue multiple on an insurance business during a global pandemic feels just ridiculous.

In response to her comments, a tech security researcher pointed out via Twitter that at least Lemonade is generating revenue.

He remarked:

Blow your mind with Nikola Corporation (NKLA), more than $20 billion on no revenue. Tesla (TSLA) isnt much better either, hasnt grown 8 quarters but stock price went nuts. Hello 1999/2000, where storytelling is everything.

On June 25, 2020, Lemonade filed a Form S-1/A with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The leading Insurtech firm had been planning to IPO on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under ticker LMND.

A few days later, Lemonade upped its initial public offering (IPO) share price range according to an updated S-1 filing.

Lemonade is an insurance tech firm that aims to align its interests with those of its customers. The companys mission is predicated on the fact that most people hate their insurance providers due to poor service, denied claims, and spurious coverage.

Lemonade states:

At the foundation of our business model is a direct, digital, customer-centric experience that delivers rapid growth and strong retention. Our customer centricity runs deep, and our underlying business model is designed to align interests between us and our customers. This technology-first customer acquisition and retention strategy, combined with our unconflicted business model, results in a highly attractive financial model

Lemonade offers home-owner / renters insurance in both the US and parts of Europe. The Insurtech firm is licensed to provide insurance in 41 US states, and maintains operations in 28 (including DC), and Germany and the Netherlands.

Lemonade also holds a pan-European license and thus is able to sell insurance in 31 different European countries.

On July 2, 2020, Lemonade completed its initial public offering (IPO). It was reported that day that at the last minute, Lemonade bumped up its planned offering price to $29 a share.

That was not quite enough as demand outstripped supply in early trading and shares opened at around $50 a share as the price rocketed higher.

At the IPO price of $29/share, Lemonade grossed $319 million (before commissions and expenses). The fact that investment management firm Baillie Gifford, based in Edinburgh, indicated its interest in purchasing around $100 million of equity in Lemonade probably helped boost overall share demand.

Following the successful offering, Crowdfund Insider received a comment from another Insurtech Getsafe, based in Germany. CEO Christian Wiens described Lemonades successful listing as a validation for this emerging sector of Fintech.

Yesterday, Lemonade proved that neo-insurers are well equipped to deal with a crisis like the one we are currently going through with COVID-19. They are successfully establishing themselves in the market. Their business model is designed to grow with (usually) young customers over the years. Customers pay for the service from day one. While they may have several current accounts or credit cards, they only have one type of liability or contents insurance, which they keep especially in times of crisis.

Wiens added:

The successful Lemonade IPO is therefore a positive sign for us. Digital insurance is becoming the new standard, and neo-insurance providers such as Lemonade and Getsafe dont have to shy away from comparisons with neo-banks. In fact, they should embrace these comparisons.

These developments suggest that a Fintech or Insurtech firms fair valuation does not necessarily depend entirely on its current revenue. Clearly, there are other factors that need to be taken into consideration when determining how valuable a company can be, such as its potential future impact on the industry in which it operates.

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Blockchain Professional Questions Why Insurtech Lemonade is Valued at $4 Billion on $26 Million in Revenue - Crowdfund Insider

DNV uses blockchain to certify public health at InterContinental Shanghai – Ledger Insights

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InterContinentalis using a blockchain solution fromDNV GLat one of its Shanghai hotels. DNV GL certified that the InterContinental Shanghai Hongqiao NECC hotel complies with health and safety protocols for public health protection amid the COVID-19 pandemic, aGuangming Dailyreport said.

Accreditation and certification body DNV GL has developed a platform for COVID-19 infection risk management that uses blockchain for evidencing health and safety practices followed by an enterprise.

InterContinentals adoption of blockchain coincides with the reopening of the National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC), the sprawling complex housing offices and four exhibition centers, situated a few hundred meters from the hotel.

The public health compliance certificate was issued to InterContinental based on data collected on the blockchain. The system records cleaning of air conditioners, disinfection of the swimming pool, and even the use of each rag used for cleaning a room.

At this time, you will find that this is not a simple certificate. It is a professional management system and a powerful work record, said Kang Wenyu, president of DNV Management Services Group, Greater China. It adopts hospital-level standards and systems to help companies improve their risk control capabilities and reduce the risk of getting back to work, and also convey confidence to users.

Meanwhile, the solution enables guests to view the hotels public health safety details by scanning a QR code.

Oslo-based DNV GL has developed theMyCaresolution using ToolChain, the blockchain-as-a-service platform by VeChain. Leveraging MyCare, DNV undertakes several assessments of a firm for the readiness and maturity of its risk management process.

DNV has also certified the Hongqiao State Guest House for its public health protection standards. According to the report, other structures certified include the Hotel Nikko, Jiangsu Qingshan Conference Center, Fosun Groups Xingbao Nursing Home in Shanghai and Xingjian Nursing Home in Ningbo.

Singapore-based VeChain, which has mainly Chinese clients, previously worked with DNV to develop a supply chain assurance platform calledMyStory. The certification company has aminority stake in VeChain.

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DNV uses blockchain to certify public health at InterContinental Shanghai - Ledger Insights

What is frog TikTok, and why does it so often cross over with lesbian TikTok? – Metro.co.uk

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The frog is considered a gay icon (Picture: Getty)

There are a number of unlikely gay icons in this world, from The Babadook to Peppa Pig, and it seems that frogs have made the list.

If youre a regular user of TikTok, you may have noticed that alongside videos of dancing and lip-syncing there is an abundance of frog videos.

Where dogs and cats reign supreme on other social media platforms, TikTok is full of sweet little amphibians. Sometimes its frogs sitting weirdly, sometimes its frog care videos for pet owners, sometimes its a girl raising hundreds of thousands of tadpoles in her back garden.

Not all of these videos are made by or featuring lesbians, but the two commonly cross over, with lesbian TikTok and frog TikTok inextricably linked.

Lets look at why.

Lesbian frog TikTok is a communion of two TikTok niches lesbians and frogs.

There are a number of subcultures to be found on the social media site, from alt TikTok to beans TikTok to the oft-maligned straight TikTok.

Because the platform alters your For You page depending on what you tend to like and interact with, groups formed based on what different people saw and found funny or engaging.

In this case, its being a woman who loves women and cute frogs.

Videos feature illustrations and crafts with frogs on them, funny frogs wearing funny outfits, and basically every manner of frog creativity.

The genre frog lesbian has fully sprouted, with the hashtag lesbianslovefrogs now boasting over 710,000 views, and a search for frog lesbian showing thousands of results.

There are a number of reasons why lesbians may gravitate to frogs (and not just because theyre cute and hilarious).

The frogs are gay meme came to prominence around two years ago when shock-jock Alex Jones claimed on the show InfoWars that water was being poisoned and was making the frigginfrogsgay.

His channel then uploaded a video titled Proof! Gay Frogs Are Real, cementing frogs status as gay icons forevermore.

Frogs have also been top meme-fodder for many years. Dat Boi, Kermit sipping tea, graphic design is my passion, froggy chair, and its Wednesday my dudes all had their moment in the sun (as well as Pepe, but the less we say about him the better).

In that sense, its understandable that TikTok (the social media site best suited to more surreal and younger comedy) would become the home of frog content.

Nearly half of those who use TikTok are under 24, and under 24s are the age group most likely to be queer. Ergo, frog lovers and LGBT+ people were bound to merge and become part of the TikTok canon at some point.

But why lesbians specifically?

Although frogs are gay (incontrovertible fact, please dont argue), the links between frogs and lesbians particularly might derive from an aesthetic movement titled cottagecore.

TikTok defines this as flower prints, knitting, plants and mushrooms. Basically nice, comforting, nature-based images and sounds to soothe us and be aesthetically pleasing.

i-D magazine spoke to one queer woman about why she identified with cottagecore so much, and she said: Lesbians tend to be oversexualised by the media. Cottagecore sees love as a connection between two souls.

Another stated, It especially makes me feel like the things I loved in childhood, like having farm animals and picking blackberries in the fields and getting lost in the woods, are cis- and hetero-coded. So for me, cottagecore is an ideal where I can be visibly queer in rural spaces.

In a world where we need to own a house to have a dog or cultivate our own gardens, frogs are one of the easiest ways to get closer to nature.

And if that desire (frog)spawns a new subculture where WLW and animals are celebrated and we get to see cute frogs on our feeds then that works for us.

Do you have a story youd like to share?

Get in touch at MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk.

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Cyberpunk Books – Goodreads

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Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a future setting that tends to focus on society as "high tech low life" featuring advanced technological and scientific achievements, such as information technology and cybernetics, juxtaposed with a degree of breakdown or radical change in the social order.

Cyberpunk plots often center on conflict among artificial intelligences, hackers, and among megacorporations, and tend to be set in a near-future Earth, rather than in the far-future settings or galactic vistas found in novels such as Isaac Asimov's Foundation or Frank Herbert's Dune. The settin

Cyberpunk plots often center on conflict among artificial intelligences, hackers, and among megacorporations, and tend to be set in a near-future Earth, rather than in the far-future settings or galactic vistas found in novels such as Isaac Asimov's Foundation or Frank Herbert's Dune. The settings are usually post-industrial dystopias but tend to feature extraordinary cultural ferment and the use of technology in ways never anticipated by its original inventors ("the street finds its own uses for things"). Much of the genre's atmosphere echoes film noir, and written works in the genre often use techniques from detective fiction.

Classic cyberpunk characters were marginalized, alienated loners who lived on the edge of society in generally dystopic futures where daily life was impacted by rapid technological change, an ubiquitous datasphere of computerized information, and invasive modification of the human body.Lawrence Person

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Cyberpunk Books - Goodreads

Cyberpunk 2077: 5 Confirmed Things From The Tabletop (& 5 We Hope They’ll Use) – GameRant

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Folks at CD Projekt Redcontinue to excite fans with news after news onCyberpunk 2077, an upcoming cyberpunk RPG based on theCyberpunkTTRPG. Moreover, thanks to the depth of mechanics involved inCyberpunk, it's no questionCyberpunk 2077will have some of the TTRPG's mechanics in its gameplay. Additionally, this factor means players will likely encounter the same set of basic rules and concepts. As such, these concepts include classes, the same depth in abilities, and potentially the same narrative depth of the setting.

RELATED: Cyberpunk 2077: 10 Pro Tips On Playing Its Tabletop Version, Cyberpunk 2020

However, given the depth of theCyberpunkTTRPG,what features will make it to the game? And of the features left untouched in the game, which ones should be added?

Protagonist V in Cyberpunk 2077 not only gets access to three Life Paths or backgrounds but also a starting class. However, unlike the more class-oriented TTRPG, Cyberpunk 2077 offers class fluidity. Instead of the originalnine classes (or roles) from the TTRPG, Cyberpunk 2077 introduces three "core" classes: Solo, Netrunner, and Techie.However, players are free to expand these roles depending on their preferred specializations.

For instance, the Solo specializes in combat and skirmishes, thanks to their enhanced senses and abilities. Meanwhile, Netrunners specialize in hacking and tinkering with cyberdecks to steal information and manipulate the digital space. Lastly, the Techie specializes in tinkering with various tools and gadgets to use to their advantage.

Having only three base classes seems a bit underwhelming considering the TTRPG actually has moreoptions.For instance, Johnny Silverhand is a Rockerboy.In the TTRPG, they're able to inspire and lead others against authority.

Other classes interact better with certain demographics in Night City. For example, Corporates and Cops have better connections with the higher-ups and rich folks in the city. Meanwhile, MedTechs heal others and Medias investigate and report on the news.

Additionally, Fixers "make things happen" with their persuasion skills. And lastly, Nomads are well-versed in survival and making do. CD Projekt Red will hopefully include these class options in potential expansions. Moreover, these classes' specializations give the game great replayable potential.

Life in Night City isn't easy, regardless of a person's walk of life. In Cyberpunk 2077, players get to choose a Life Path for V, which establishes a premise and a background for their introduction to the game's setting.

For instance, the StreetKid Life Path introduces V as someonereturning to their hometown of Night Cityafter years of staying in Atlanta. Meanwhile, the Corpo-Rat puts V as a mid-tier corporate in Night City who wants to acquire a more secure post. Lastly, the Nomad puts V as someone looking at Night City as a place where dreams come true.

However, eagle-eyed fans might notice that the Life Path choice seems to be a "simplified" version of the prototype shown in the 2018 gameplay reveal. In that particular event, viewers could see the Life Path option as a "Background Check," with players able to choose V's Childhood Hero, Key Life Event, andreason to visit Night City.

RELATED: 10 Pro Tips To Create A Cyberpunk D&D Campaign

In the TTRPG, players have a depth of options for their Life Path. Aside from their appearance and basic background, Life Path choices include parentage, hopes, and aspirations, or even potential enemies. When fleshed out, all of these can provide easy sources of scenarios that can be tackled in-game.

Thanks to the fluid nature of the class system, V can specialize in a myriad of things depending on the player's point allocation and perk choice. In Cyberpunk 2077, V has a basic set of attributes that determine their natural traits. Inside these attributes are certain skills. Moreover, perks provide much-needed upgrades and flavor to add a specialized spin to whatever skill that perk fits into.

For instance, the Body Attribute is connected to the Melee skill. Moreover, they can put a Perk called Dragon Strike into their Melee skill, enabling them to deal 15% bonus damage for strong attacks with melee weapons.

More observant players might notice that a majority of the skills featured in Cyberpunk 2077have something to do with fighting. For instance, certain attributes connect with certain weapons. While this in itself is awesome, CD Projekt Red should consider adding more non-combat skills in V's arsenal. That way, players can find more creative ways to deal with problems and solve solutions without necessarily having to shoot bosses or sneak.

For instance, in the TTRPG, players have access to seven sets of skills, each connected to an Attribute. However, only those under the Reflex Attribute are considered combat skills, as the rest deal with Netrunning, conversations, and observation.

As an FPS, Cyberpunk 2077 fans likely look forward to the sheer awesomeness of combat in the game. Aside from the futuristic weapons, fans are able to use special perks and even cybernetic augmentations to grant them advantages in combat.

RELATED: 10 Reasons Why The Forgotten World Of Warcraft TTRPG Is A Must-Try

Aside from the versatility of combat, there are also Netrunning and cyberdecks. Players are capable of hacking into various interfaces and even on enemies to ruin their defenses with viruses or daemons. Thanks to having these options, players can always approach combat in different ways.

Combat in Cyberpunk 2077 is fast and deadly. Thanks to cybernetics and weapon upgrades, players can easily tip the scales to their favor regardless of the situation. However, perhaps one element devs can add from the TTRPG would be an active Stun/Shock Save mechanic.

In the TTRPPG, getting hit by an attack will always trigger Stun/Shock Saves to determine the body's response to the immediate force that hit them. For instance, failing that save will stun the player for a set duration. Having these saves might be inconvenient at first, but they do convey the message that players need to be careful as their weapons now are much more power than before.

Fans of the TTRPG will be delighted to know that a lot of prominent companies from the original Cyberpunk 2020 game have made it to Cyberpunk 2077. As such, players will be able to see the differences between companies such asArasaka and how they interact with the many people that live in Night City.

However, players should also take this opportunity to familiarize themselves with the appearances and mannerisms of members of these companies. After all, one of them might be their next target.

In Cyberpunk 2077, players see Netrunning as a means to infiltrate enemy networks or even disrupt an enemy's weapon or movement. Moreover, the Braindance mechanic allows players to "see" events from the perspective of NPCs. However, CD Projekt Red should probably include the full iteration of Netrunning mechanics from the TTRPG.

In the TTRPG, Netrunning is much more intense it is an entirely different event that can happen even during battles. Through Netrunning, players can disrupt entire companies, put in malicious programs, or even perform multi-layered heists.

NEXT: Bloodlines 2: 5 Ways The Video Game Is Best (& 5 The Tabletop Version is Better)

Next Pokemon: 5 Best Galarian Redesigns (& 5 Worst)

Rhenn is a Manila-based content writer with a love for all things geek and pop culture, and science and technology. He has a BA Journalism degree, and has since then pursued making content about geek culture. Rhenn used to write for a couple of geek and gaming publications, and also served as editor-in-chief for Philippines-based What's A Geek!. He constantly plays video games but also takes the time to try out older titles. If he's not playing video games, he's probably playing TTRPGs.

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Cyberpunk 2077: 5 Confirmed Things From The Tabletop (& 5 We Hope They'll Use) - GameRant

Strife Is The Cyberpunk 2077 Of The Doom Clone Era | Screen Rant – Screen Rant

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1996's Strife is a doom clone with the soul of Cyberpunk 2077, successfully melding brilliant retro-shooter design with modern storytelling.

CDPR'sCyberpunk 2077may not arrive until November of this year, but that doesn't mean gamers have to wait until then for an enthralling cyberpunk FPS, becauseback in 1996, Rogue Entertainment released an innovative sci-fi shooter called Strife. The game blended cyberpunk, fantasy,RPG elements, and classic shooter design to create an experience well ahead of its time. All things considered, Strife is more relevant today than it was when it first released.

Recently, retro gaming has exploded in popularity, and no genre has been impacted more than the first-person shooter. From creative homages like Project Warlock to modern takes such as DOOM Eternal, gamers devour old-school shooters. Yet, with the exception of the new DOOMs, AAA FPS games continue to emphasize story, character progression, and world building over shooting. Games like Cyberpunk 2077 imbue their world with narrative purpose giving the combat contextualized heft at the cost of the simple joy found in classic shooter design.

Related:Cyberpunk 2077 Previews Reveal "Seriously Concerning" Gameplay Flaws

As George Mendell, developer of the indie-shooter Maximum Action, told Fanbyte, If more AAA shooters embraced the Doom model and focused on gameplay and player freedom first and story second, I think we would see a lot more unique games with high levels of replay ability. But, perhaps, the divide between world-building and joyful gameplay does not have to be so binary, since Strife brilliantly melds these two concepts. Using the Doom Engine, Strife has all the hallmarks of a traditional "Doom Clone." Players navigate an unnamed mercenary through various mazes as they mow down enemy after enemy. Smooth and impactful, the combat satisfies the inner id while the the labyrinthine levels tax the brain; it's classic 90s shooting at its finest. However, while such mechanics make up the 99% of the game, it is not all Strife offers. In fact, Strife feels more innovative than most modern games, offering an experience that's both retro and avant garde.

Strife has numerous elements that give the game a greater sense of world as compared to its old-school brethren. First, the wildly creative story combines genuine cyberpunk sci-fi with dark fantasy, taking place in an alternative history where aliens invaded during the medieval era. Humanity is enslaved: oppressed by advanced technology and cybernetic augmentations that deprive them of free-will. The few free humans left, of which the player's character is a part, fight to overthrow the oppressors.

Strife does not depend on exposition or dialogue-heavy sequences to give its action heft, instead relying on in-game storytelling such as moral choices. For instance, an important late-game choice determines whether or not the player sees an entire third of the game and alters the ending. The different endings are not simple either. In fact, each ending adds to a complex whole hinting at a potential larger conspiracy. Fans still debate which is actually the happiest ending because, depending on how one interprets certain revelations, the happy ending may in fact be the worst possible ending.

All of this plays out in an interconnected world too. Unlike most old-school shooters, where players just bounce between levels, all the missions in Strife are connected via two towns that serve as hubs. The towns offer a brief respite from shooting allowing players the opportunity to improve their stats and talk with NPCs for side-quests while also organically connecting all the levels together. If it werent for the occasional quick loading screen, the game would be seamless: its a mini-open world akin to Dark Souls with a couple towns linking together a number of combat areas.

A prescient Doom Clone, Strife saw ahead of the curve and meldedRPG sensibilities with refined shooting to create a game thats decidedly retro and modern all at once. Cyberpunk 2077 may be months away but awesome cyberpunk action is available now and has been for more than 20 years.

Next:How Cyberpunk 2077's Analysis Mode Works (& What It's For)

Elder Scrolls 6 Should Offer A GTA Online-Style Multiplayer Mode

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New Cyberpunk 2077 district revealed, and it looks gorgeous – PCGamesN

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Weve already got some idea of what the Cyberpunk 2077 map will look like, thanks to combination of Cyberpunk 2077 gameplayfootage, teases from developer CD Projekt Red, and eagle-eyed fans efforts to decipher what Night Citys got to offer fromthe clues so far.It seemsthere are six Cyberpunk 2077 districts, and now another of those has been unveiled, via some CDPR concept art.

The devs shared some images of Westbrook on Twitter, explaining that the region is considered by many to be the best place to live and have fun in Night City, which is certainly clear in the pictures.In one particular shot, we can see a crystal clear water feature surrounded by a semi-landscaped vale peppered with palm trees, and overlooked by an impressive, enormously opulent, waterfall-fronted casino and club.

If youve got eddies, the post continues, you come here to spend them. And if you dont? Well, take out a loan and pretend youre on top of the world even for just one glorious night.

The otherpiecespresent an image of Night City more familiar from much of the footage andartwork weve seen so far, with high-rise scrapers, and layers of concrete and neon civilisation though thepretty scenery does peep through, reminding us its theplayground for Cyberpunks wealthy elites.

Westbrook is home to Night Citys Japantown, a cultural epicentre for theJapanese community, as well as a hotspot for theRPG gamesrich and famous.

You can find the new concept images above. If youre keen to know more about what the game will bring when the (now-delayed) Cyberpunk 2077 release date rolls around in November, check out our Cyberpunk 2077 preview.Our very own Jordan Forward spent four hours delving into Night City, and has seen things you people wouldnt believe.

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New Cyberpunk 2077 district revealed, and it looks gorgeous - PCGamesN

Fast of the 17th of Tammuz: Times and customs – The Jerusalem Post

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Thursday marks the fast of the 17th of the Hebrew month of Tammuz, a day commemorating a number of tragedies in Jewish history and the start of a mourning period known as the Three Weeks, when many Jews traditionally follow some mourning customs.

Five tragedies are said to have occurred on the 17th of Tammuz: the breaking of the tablets of the Ten Commandments by Moses, the cessation of the daily offering during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, the burning of the Torah by Apostomos, the placing of an idol the Temple in Jerusalem and the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem by the Romans in 69 CE after a long siege. According to the Jerusalem Talmud, the Babylonians also breached the walls of Jerusalem on this day.

During the three weeks, many Jews begin following mourning customs, including avoiding haircuts and shaving, not listening to music and not getting married. Many also avoid risky or dangerous activities and traveling.

Additional restrictions are practiced starting from the first day of the Hebrew month of Av until the ninth day of the month, the fast of Tisha B'Av, commemorating the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, among other calamities. Eating meat and drinking wine and wearing freshly laundered or new clothes is prohibited. Joyous activities, such as bathing for pleasure and buying new items, are avoided or prohibited. One should consult their rabbi for any questions about Jewish laws and customs during this time.

Fast Start and End Times: (According to MyZmanim. There are varying customs)

Jerusalem

Start: 4:14 AM

End: 8:30 PM

Tel Aviv

Start: 4:15 AM

End: 8:32 PM

Haifa

Start: 4:11 AM

End: 8:34 PM

Eilat

Start: 4:24 AM

End: 8:24 PM

Beersheba

Start: 4:18 AM

End: 8:30 PM

New York

Start: 3:47 AM

End: 9:19 PM (According to Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, those who have trouble fasting may eat at 9:09 PM)

Los Angeles

Start: 4:19 AM

End: 8:51 PM (According to Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, those who have trouble fasting may eat at 8:43 PM)

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Fast of the 17th of Tammuz: Times and customs - The Jerusalem Post

The huppah – a beloved object of Jewish art – The Jerusalem Post

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The huppah, the Jewish bridal canopy, is one of the most beloved objects of Jewish art. It is steeped in history, customs, symbolism and beauty. It is both the actual bridal canopy and the ceremony. Here we will focus on the huppah as an object of Jewish art. The Hebrew word huppah means covering, or that which floats above. It is based on the root word hafah, which means to cover or hide, similar to the word hafaf, meaning to protect. It intended as a roof or covering for the bride and groom at their wedding. It is open on all four sides as Abrahams tent was, to welcome strangers from all directions.Originally, the wedding ceremony was held outdoors, with the hope that the couple would be blessed with a large family, as Gods blessing to Abraham. I will greatly bless you, and I will exceedingly multiply your children as the stars in heaven. It is also reminiscent of the sukkah the temporary structure erected for Sukkot. Like the sukkah, the huppah reminds the bride and groom that they are protected by God alone and that God is their only haven and support.In the Talmudic period, the grooms fathers would set up a royal purple tent or use gold and luxurious scarlet cloth for their sons huppot. An especially moving ceremony involved planting a cedar tree on the occasion of a sons birth, and a pine tree when a daughter was born. When the child married, the branches and leaves from the tree were then used to make the huppah.The medieval community often used a parochet, the embroidered curtain covering the Torah ark. But over time, it was felt to be inappropriate to use a sacred object for the bridal chamber. It then became the custom to marry under a tallit, the prayer shawl, which was frequently a gift from the brides family to the groom.To define the space as sacred, a covering was used to avoid the appearance that the bridal couple were marrying in the marketplace, which was considered indelicate and unacceptable at that time.Prior to the 16th century, the huppah consisted of a veil worn by the bride. Later, it was a cloth spread over the shoulders of the bride and groom. An eminent Polish rabbi in the 16th century wrote the portable marriage canopy was widely adopted by Ashkenazi Jews as a symbol of the chamber where marriages originally took place.It is an ancient concept, and the Talmud considered it biblically required for marriage. THERE IS great symbolism in the huppah as attested in the Bible, Chabad, hassidim and Kabbalah.God constructed 10 huppot for Adam and Eves wedding, according to the Midrash. Ten is a mystical number in Kabbala referring to the 10 divine attributes through which God relates to the physical world. The huppah is considered a symbol of Gods love above the married couple. The traditional huppah features an open sky above acknowledging God as Creator, who infuses marriage with deep spirituality and cosmic significance.It is said that the couples ancestors are present at the huppah ceremony and that the Shechinah, the Divine Presence, graces every huppah ceremony. Unlike many other Jewish ritual objects such as the tallit or mezuzah that follow strict Biblical instructions, the only rule about the huppahs construction is that it be a temporary structure made by human hands. The cloth huppah was originally draped around the bride and groom but was later spread out over their heads. The single cloth under which the couple are joined thus symbolizes both the new household they are forming and represents the public recognition of their new status as man and wife.Huppot are diverse and reflect personal taste, budget, community influence, season and settings. Huppot vary from simple cloths to elaborate tapestries and embroideries, quilts sewn by family members, to spectacular floral creations. The materials depend on taste, budget and the ceremonys location. Over centuries, the appearance of huppot has changed dramatically. While some abroad are totally floral, normally they are fashioned from fabric: cotton, lace, organza, wool, silk, satin or velvet. White, symbolizing purity, is the most accepted color, while hassidic weddings utilize dark blue velvet. Some huppot are embellished with popular motifs in Jewish art, including Stars of David, pomegranates representing abundance, scenes of Jerusalem and texts and images from the sheva brachot (seven marriage blessings).The Great Synagogue of Rome boasts a majestic huppah in pale green floral brocade, lined in satin with a scalloped valance trimmed in gold fringe. HAND-HELD HUPPOT can be used in the processional, the poles carried by four friends or relatives represent the communitys support in years to come. Poles can be made of metal or wood and can be carved, painted or wrapped in ribbons or flowers and greenery. Wedding halls, caterers and many synagogues generally provide a large huppah, often raised on a stage. Huppot can be rented online, complete with poles and stands. It is a mitzvah to beautify all Jewish ritual objects (hiddur mitzvot), and the huppah is no exception. After the wedding, a huppah can become a wall hanging, a bed canopy or a bedspread. Some couples loan theirs for weddings of family and friends, and some have raised their huppah for a baby-naming or brit milah ceremony. Customs too have changed over time and in Jewish communities around the world. Many of the customs are still cherished and practiced today.In Yemen, the Jewish practice was not for the groom and his bride to be secluded under a canopy (huppah) hung on four poles, as is widely practiced today in Jewish weddings, but rather in a bridal chamber that was, in effect, a highly decorated room in the house of the groom. This room was traditionally decorated with large hanging sheets of colored, patterned cloth, replete with wall cushions and short-length mattresses for reclining. Their marriage is consummated when they have been left together alone in this room.In the Italian Jewish wedding it is traditional to use a crocheted tablecloth or a bed covering which, after the ceremony, will be used in the couples home. In fact, the Italian phrase, sotto la coperta, (or under the covering) signifies the bridal canopy from ancient times.Let the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride be heard.The writer is an American interior and textile designer and Judaica artist, based in Jerusalem. joetob@netvision.net.il

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The huppah - a beloved object of Jewish art - The Jerusalem Post

Police uncover new tactic used by Macau scam syndicates during raid on Johor call centre – The Star Online

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JOHOR BARU: The police have uncovered the latest tactic of the Macau scam syndicates following a raid of premises allegedly being used as a call center on July 7, says state police chief Comm Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay.

He said that the police raided the landed property at Mount Austin here and found after further investigations that the syndicate uses an application known as Got Further 602400 and added that it comes from an Asian country.

Comm Ayob said the telecommunication configuration system uses Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Interactive Voice Response (IVR).

The victims will be contacted randomly through the system by using IVR (Robo-call) and voice recordings claiming to be from various enforcement agencies.

Victims would then be asked to press a number on their mobile phone before they are connected to an operator at the call centre where they are then told that they have committed an offence, he added.

Comm Ayob said the operator would then tell the victim to download an app where the syndicate is then able to hack into the victim's personal information, including their bank account details.

So far, we have identified about 12 scam cases involving losses amounting to a total of RM599,299 and police believe there are more call centres and victims in the state, he added.

On the raid itself, Comm Ayob said that 12 suspects aged between 20 and 45 were arrested and that they work as operators.

He added that those arrested also posed as enforcement officers from the police, the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC), Immigration, the Customs Department, the Inland Revenue Board, court officials and even Pos Malaysia staff.

Two of the suspects played an important role in the syndicate where one of them acted as a supervisor while the other one as a technical communication system expert, he added.

Comm Ayob Khan said this during a press conference held at the state police headquarters here on Monday (July 13).

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Police uncover new tactic used by Macau scam syndicates during raid on Johor call centre - The Star Online

Up to half of working population on reduced paid leave – Macau Daily Times

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A survey with 936 valid responses shows that half of its respondents are on unpaid leave, semi-paid leave, underemployed, or have had their pay cut.The survey conducted by the General Union of Neighborhood Associations of Macau (UGAMM) also shows that nearly 90% of respondents felt worried about the future of their work or lives.Unpaid or semi-paid leave has become normal under the impact of Covid-19. The survey revealed that one out of five respondents was on one of the abovementioned leave conditions, while more than one-third of respondents were either underemployed or required to accept a pay cut.Considering the complications created by the pandemic, two out of three respondents were worried about their work or lives, while more than a quarter of respondents felt extremely worried. However, only 15% were worried they would actually lose their jobs.The survey organizer, however, did not disclose in which industries the respective worried and unconcerned respondents worked.Respondents expressed the hope that the government would implement stricter control on non-resident worker applications and shrink the quotas for such applications. The scope of the subsidized training program should also be expanded.Finally, the survey organizer recommends that the government promptly institutionalize the citys overall economic strategies and contingencies, so as to diversify the economy and provide confidence to residents. AL

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Hollywood | Kelly Preston, actor and wife of John Travolta, dies at 57 – Macau Daily Times

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Kelly Preston and John Travolta attend the premiere of Gotti at the SVA Theatre in New York, in 2018

Kelly Preston, who played dramatic and comic foil to actors ranging from Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire to Arnold Schwarzenegger in Twins, died yesterday [Macau time], husband John Travolta said. She was 57.Travolta said in an Instagram post that his wife of 28 years died after a two-year battle with breast cancer.It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you that my beautiful wife Kelly has lost her two-year battle with breast cancer, Travolta said. She fought a courageous fight with the love and support of so many.The couple had three children together.Shocked by this sad news, Maria Shriver said on Twitter. Kelly was such a bright loving soul, a talented actress, and a loving mom and wife. My heart breaks for her family who have already known such sadness and grief.Preston had a lengthy acting career in movies and television, starring opposite Kevin Costner in the 1999 film For the Love of the Game. In 2003, she starred in What a Girl Wants and as the mom in the live-action adaptation of The Cat in the Hat. The following year she appeared in the music video for Maroon 5s She Will Be Loved.Russell Crowe tweeted that he met Preston first in late 92 I think, adding, In 1995 we auditioned together for Breaking Up, Salma Hayek got that gig. Crowe said he hadnt seen Preston much, but when I did, she was always the same sparkly eyed gem.She occasionally appeared in films with her husband, as they did in the box-office bomb Battlefield Earth in 2000.Preston and Travolta were married at a midnight ceremony in Paris in 1991 while the couple were expecting their first son, Jett.In January 2009, Jett Travolta, 16, died after a seizure at the familys vacation home in the Bahamas. The death touched off a court case after an ambulance driver and his attorney were accused of trying to extort $25 million from the actors in exchange for not releasing sensitive information about their sons death.Travolta testified during a criminal trial that ended in a mistrial and was prepared to testify a second time, but decided to stop pursuing the case and it was dismissed. He cited the severe strain the proceedings and his sons death had caused the family.Both Preston and Travolta returned to acting, with Prestons first role back in the Nicholas Sparks adaptation, The Last Song, which starred Miley Cyrus and her future husband, Liam Hemsworth.They had two other children, daughter Ella Bleu in 2000 and son Benjamin in 2010. Ella wrote on Instagram Sunday: I have never met anyone as courageous, strong, beautiful and loving as you. Anyone who is lucky enough to have known you or to have ever been in your presence will agree that you have a glow and a light that never ceases to shine and that makes anyone around you feel instantly happy.Travolta and Preston met while filming 1988s The Experts.They last starred together in the 2018 film Gotti, with Travolta playing John Gotti and Preston playing the crime bosss wife, Victoria. AP

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UK in U-turn as it makes facemasks mandatory in shops – Macau Business

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Facemasks will be compulsory in shops and supermarkets in England from next week, the government said on Tuesday, in a U-turn on previous policy.

The new legislation will come into force in England on July 24, after weeks of wrangling from ministers about their effectiveness.

The Prime Minister has been clear that people should be wearing face coverings in shops and we will make this mandatory from July 24, Boris Johnsons office said.

There is growing evidence that wearing a face covering in an enclosed space helps protect individuals and those around them from coronavirus, it said in a statement.

People who fail to cover their face risk a fine of up to 100 ($123, 109 euros) with enforcement to be carried out by the police.

Johnson, who spent several days battling COVID-19 in intensive care, on Monday said the measure was extra insurance against the spread of the virus.

I do think in shops its very important to wear a face covering if youre going to be in a confined space to protect other people, and receive protection, he said.

Johnson has been pictured recently wearing a blue facemask bought for 2 from a high-street bargain store.

But Johnsons senior cabinet colleague, Michael Gove, on Sunday appeared to rule out the compulsory wearing of facemasks, saying ministers trusted peoples good sense.

Facemasks have been mandatory on public transport across the country since June 15, and Scotland has already made the coverings compulsory for shoppers.

UK Environment Secretary George Eustice said Tuesday the government was changing its advice in accordance with developments in scientific thinking.

The evidence, the understanding, has been evolving, he told Sky News television. I dont think its unreasonable to ask the public now to go to that next step.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock will outline the new policy in parliament later on Tuesday.

But there are already concerns from the police who have called it nigh on enforceable.

Shopkeepers need to step up to the plate and take some responsibility, said Ken Marsh, of the Metropolitan Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers.

They can quite easily put signs up on their doors No mask on, no entry, this is private property.

Opposition parties have also accused the government of dithering and asked why the policy is being delayed until July 24.

Ben Bradshaw, from the Labour party, called the governments approach a total shambles.

Britain has been one of the countries worst hit by the virus, with nearly 45,000 deaths from positive coronavirus cases, according to an official government tally.

Broader statistics taking into account suspected cases puts the death toll at more than 50,000.

The government was also warned on Tuesday that a second wave of infections could see 120,000 deaths in hospitals alone in a reasonable worst-case scenario if no action was taken now.

The Academy of Medical Sciences said the government needed to prepare immediately to prevent the state-run National Health Service (NHS) from being overwhelmed from September.

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Hong Kong | Organizers of Tiananmen vigil appear in court – Macau Daily Times

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Media tycoon Jimmy Lai, founder of the local newspaper Apple Daily, arrives outside a district court in Hong Kong, yesterday

The organizers of a vigil commemorating Chinas bloody 1989 crackdown in Tiananmen Square appeared in a Hong Kong court on Monday on charges of inciting others to participate in an unlawful assembly.A total of 13 people were charged over the June 4 vigil, including Lee Cheuk-Yan, who chairs the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic and Democratic Movements of China. The alliance organizes the vigil, which is annual event.Others charged include Jimmy Lai, founder of the Apple Daily newspaper and a pro-democracy advocate, as well as activists and alliance members Richard Tsoi and Albert Ho.Police had ruled that this years vigil could not take place due to restrictions put in place because of the coronavirus pandemic, but organizers turned up to sit in the usual vigil venue, Victoria Park. Thousands eventually followed suit.Days later, they were charged for inciting others to participate in the banned protest.Today we are supposedly on trial, but we believe it is the Hong Kong government, the police that should be put on trial and will be put on trial because of the suppression of our right to mourn on June 4, Lee said.This is a complete denial of our rights under the constitutional Basic Law, he said.The group held up posters and banners condemning the government for suppressing the vigil and opposing political prosecution.They also took a moment of silence to mark the death anniversary of Liu Xiaobo, a Chinese dissident who died of liver cancer in 2017 while serving a 11-year jail sentence for subversion of state power.

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Hong Kong | Organizers of Tiananmen vigil appear in court - Macau Daily Times

Germany alarmed at tourists partying in Mallorca – Macau Business

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Germanys health minister expressed concern on Monday after hundreds of German tourists were seen partying in Mallorca without masks or keeping a safe distance, fuelling fears of another coronavirus wave.

Local media on the Spanish island voiced outrage after video footage showed mainly German holidaymakers drinking, singing and dancing outside bars and terraces on Friday evening.

One local newspaper dubbed it chaos while the German-language Mallorca Zeitung said it was as if no one had ever heard of the corona pandemic.

At a press conference in Berlin, Health Minister Jens Spahn said he understood that people wanted to cut loose on vacation, but said they risked undoing the progress made to contain the deadly virus by disregarding health measures.

The images weve seen from Mallorca this weekend worry me, Spahn said.

Situations where people do not keep the recommended 1.5 metres apart, drink from the same bottle, hug and seek closeness while partying and consuming alcohol, all this of course increases the risk, he said.

Im not here to ruin the fun but now is not the time for this.

Mallorcas sun-soaked beaches and vibrant nightlife make it one of Germanys most popular holiday destinations.

Thousands of Germans have flown there since EU countries reopened their borders to each other in June.

But concerns that visitors could spark a fresh coronavirus surge on the Balearic Islands prompted the regional government last week to announce hefty fines for those caught organising illegal parties or flouting rules on social distancing and face masks.

Germanys Spahn warned that Mallorca must not turn into a second Ischgl, referring to an Austrian ski resort that became a COVID-19 hotspot and contributed to the spread of the pandemic across Europe.

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Germany alarmed at tourists partying in Mallorca - Macau Business

US judge delays first federal execution in 17 years – Macau Business

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A US judge ordered a delay on Monday of the first federal execution in the United States in 17 years, which is scheduled to be carried out later in the day.

Daniel Lewis Lee, 47, a former white supremacist convicted of murdering a family of three in 1996, is scheduled to be executed at 4:00 pm (2000 GMT) on Monday at Terre Haute prison in the midwestern state of Indiana.

But US District Judge Tanya Chutkan ordered Lees execution halted to allow for legal challenges to the lethal injection protocols to be used to put him and other federal inmates to death.

The public is not served by short-circuiting legitimate judicial process, Chutkan said.

The Justice Department immediately appealed Chutkans order to a higher court and the Supreme Court may have the final say in the case over the next few hours.

Lee, of Yukon, Oklahoma,would be the first federal inmate to be executed in the United States since 2003. There have been just three federal executions in the country since the death penalty was reinstated in 1988.

Lee was convicted in Arkansas in 1999 of murdering William Mueller, a gun dealer, his wife, Nancy, and her eight-year-old daughter, Sarah Powell.

Earlene Peterson, whose daughter and granddaughter were killed by Lee, has asked President Donald Trump to grant clemency to the condemned man but he has ignored her appeal.

Peterson and relatives of other victims also filed a lawsuit with a US District Court in Indianapolis seeking to delay the execution because of the coronavirus pandemic.

They argued that they would be risking their lives if they travelled to Terre Haute to witness Lees execution.

An appeals court dismissed the suit on Sunday, clearing the way for the execution to go ahead.

Baker Kurrus, the lawyer for the families, said he would take their appeal to the Supreme Court.

The federal government has put this family in the untenable position of choosing between their right to witness Danny Lees execution and their own health and safety, Kurrus said.

The Bureau of Prisons said Sunday that a member of the Terre Haute prison staff had tested positive for COVID-19.

Theres no reason for anybody to be carrying out executions right now because of the pandemic, said Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center.

Dunham accused Trump of political use of the death penalty.

Trump, who faces a tough re-election battle in November, has called for stepped up use of capital punishment, especially for killers of police officers and drug traffickers.

More than 1,000 US religious leaders urged Trump last week to abandon plans to resume federal executions.

Only a handful of US states, mainly in the conservative South, still actively carry out executions. In 2019, 22 people were put to death.

Most crimes are tried under state laws, but federal courts can judge some of the most serious crimes terror attacks, hate crimes and the like as well as those committed on military bases and Indian reservations.

Among the most notable recent federal executions was that of Timothy McVeigh, who was put to death by lethal injection in 2001 for the 1995 bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma that killed 168 people.

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US judge delays first federal execution in 17 years - Macau Business