Two Nigerians shortlisted as finalists in the Cartier Women’s Initiative 2020 – Ventures Africa

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Funkola Odeleye and Temie Giwa-Tubosun have been shortlisted as two of three African entrepreneurs who could stand a chance to win the sum of $100,000 in grant at this years edition of the Cartier Womens Initiative.

The initiative, which was founded in 2006, has helped women over the years to reach their full potential by shining a light on their achievements while providing them with the necessary financial, social and human capital support in growing their businesses and leadership skills. It is open to women-run and women-owned businesses across the globe with the aim of ensuring a strong and sustainable social and environmental impact as defined by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Owing to the social impact of their businesses within Nigeria, Funke Odeleye and Giwa-Tubosun were among the selected 21 finalists from a pool of 1,200 applications from 162 countries across 7 regions. A winner will be selected from each region and take home the sum of $100,000 in prize money, whereas the second and third runner-ups will receive the sum of $30,000.

Funkola Odeleye is the Co-founder and CEO at DIYlaw, a legal technology company committed to empowering Nigerian entrepreneurs through the provision of accessible and affordable legal services and free legal and business resources. She is also the Corporate-Commercial and Intellectual Property lead at The Longe Practice LP (TLP), an entrepreneur-focused law practice.

Funkola has a Masters in Finance and Financial Law from the School of Oriental & African Studies, University of London in addition to her LLB from the Lagos State University and BL from the Nigerian Law School. Her legal experience prior to founding TLP and DIYlaw cuts across capital markets, investment advisory, compliance, and securities. In addition, she is an Obama Leader, having been chosen as a 2019 Obama Africa Leader and also an Innovating Justice Fellow of The Hague Institute for the Innovation of Law (HiiL).

With our goals aimed at reducing unemployment in Nigeria by 50 percent by 2030, DIYLaws services and partnerships at the end of 2019 had created more than 120,000 jobs in Nigeria. Every job increases an individuals financial independence, provides a chance for stability, and in some cases even offers the possibility of moving off the streets she said.

Temie Giwa-Tubosun, also shortlisted as one of the finalists, is the founder of LifeBank, a medical distribution company with the mission aimed at helping hospitals find critical supplies and deliver them in the right condition and on time within three cities in Nigeria.

Since its founding in 2016, LifeBank has consistently ensured the timely delivery of vital medical supplies and blood to hospitals in its service area within 55 minutes day or night, thereby relieving doctors of the logistical stress associated with locating blood and giving them ample time to focus on treating patients. The company has transported more than 20,000 units of blood and other medical products, served 450 hospitals, engaged 5,823 donors, and saved over 6,757 lives.

LifeBanks ambitious mission is to save a million lives across Africa in 10 years and to reach all of Africa, India, Southeast Asia, and South America to deliver critical supplies around the clock, eventually becoming a profitable public company.

Seven laureates out of 14 finalists from the 2020 edition of the Cartier womens initiative will be announced early June. The laureates and finalists will all benefit from financial advisory services, strategy coaching, media visibility, and international networking opportunities, as well as a place on an INSEAD executive education programme.

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Two Nigerians shortlisted as finalists in the Cartier Women's Initiative 2020 - Ventures Africa

Russia revamps its nuclear policy amid simmering tensions with NATO – EURACTIV

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President Vladimir Putin approved a strategic document on the fundamentals of Russias nuclear deterrence policy on Tuesday (2 June), naming the creation and deployment of anti-missile and strike weapons in space as one of the main military threats to Russia.

The document outlining Russias policy on its nuclear deterrent was published online amid arms control tensions between Moscow and Washington over the future of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), the last major pact regulating their nuclear arsenals.

According to the new strategy, Russias nuclear weapons policy is described as being defensive in nature and designed to safeguard the countrys sovereignty against potential adversaries.

However, in line with Russian military doctrine, it outlines four scenarios in which Moscow would order the use of nuclear weapons, two of them new and involving potential instances of nuclear first-use scenarios.

The two established protocols permit nuclear use when an enemy uses nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction on Russia or its allies, and in situations when conventional weapons threaten the very existence of the country.

In reverse, the two new provisions include cases in which the government receives reliable information that a ballistic missile attack is imminent or in the case of enemy impact on critically important government or military facilities of the Russian Federation, the incapacitation of which could result in the failure of retaliatory action of nuclear forces.

The main threats for Russia are described as follows: the increase of the potential of NATO in territories and waters close to the country, bringing new weaponry close to Russia, including new anti-missile systems, deployingstrike weapons in space and deploying nuclear weapons in non-nuclear countries.

Some US officials are eyeing Poland as a new home to the US nuclear arsenal in Europe, after German Social Democrats reopened the debate about whether the country should remain under Washingtons protective nuclear umbrella. And the latest twist has already displeased Russia, Polands mighty eastern neighbour.

The publication comes only a week after an US decision to to exit theOpen Skies Treaty, allows its signatories to conduct short-notice unarmed surveillance flights to gather information on each others military forces and installations, thereby contributing to inspections of conventional arms control and strategic offensive weapons and reducing the risk of conflict.

Open Skies is the third major security agreement, after the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), a landmark 1987 pact with Russia banning a whole class of medium-range ground-launched nuclear-capable missiles of 500 to 5,500 kilometres,and the Iran nuclear deal, which Washington decided to scrap in recent years.

Both, the US exit and Russias new strategy, come at a time as the last remaining major nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and Russia, New START, is due to expire in February 2021 and Moscow has already warned there is not enough time left to negotiate a full-fledged replacement.

The Trump administration has pushed for a new arms control pact that would also include China, but while Moscow has deemed such a solution unfeasible, arms control experts believe it would be too difficult to achieve.

Exercise tensions

At the same time, the Russian military on Monday (1 June) had accused the US and its NATO allies of conducting provocative military drills near the nations borders, according to statement that reflected simmering Russia-NATO tensions.

Russia will not conduct major military exercises near the borders with NATO member countries this year, Sergei Rudskoy, chief of the main operational department for Russias General Staff, said according to Interfax.

Rudskoy alsosaid NATO has stonewalled Russias written proposal to scale down each others military activities.

He said Russia has moved large-scale drills scheduled for September, Kavkaz-2020, deeper inside the country and is ready to adjust the locations of exercises on a parity basis with the Western military bloc.

He pointed torecent NATO drills in the Barents Sea that he called first since the Cold War, as well as increasing nuclear-capable strategic bomber flights near Russian borders and US intelligence flights near Russian bases in Syria.

NATO had called off its planned exercises amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before the health crisis, Europe was preparing for what security officials have called the most extensive transfer of US soldiers to Europe in the past 25 years, with around 37,000 soldiers taking part in the US-led military exercise Defender Europe 2020 for the transfer of troops to Germany, Poland and the Baltic states.

[Edited by Georgi Gotev]

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Russia revamps its nuclear policy amid simmering tensions with NATO - EURACTIV

NATO Secretary General addresses Foreign Ministers of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS – NATO HQ

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NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg addressed Foreign Ministers of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS on Thursday (4 June 2020), at a meeting co-chaired by Italy and the United States and held via video-conference.

We have made enormous progress; Daesh has lost control of the territories it once held; but the threat of terrorism remains, the Secretary General said. That is exactly why NATO continues to support the international fight against terrorism and is ready to further step up its efforts; in February, NATO Defence Ministers took the decision to enhance NATOs training mission in Iraq; they also agreed to look at what more NATO can do in the wider Middle East region; we remain committed to these decisions, he added.

COVID-19 and the security situation have impacted our operations; and NATOs train and advise mission has been partially paused, but we are now rebuilding our capacity and activities; going forward, our objective remains the same: building self-sustaining Iraqi Security Forces, able to prevent the return of Daesh, stabilise their country, and fight terrorism, the Secretary General highlighted. The Secretary General noted the importance of moving forward in close coordination and consultation with the Global Coalition and the Iraqi government.

More than 35 Foreign Ministers attended the meeting.

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NATO Secretary General addresses Foreign Ministers of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS - NATO HQ

To Boost NATO’s Presence in the Black Sea, Get Creative – Defense One

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Alliance fleets aren't getting bigger to match Moscow's moves in the region, so it's time to think differently.

Its been six years since Russia annexed Crimea, the first time since 1945 that European borders were changed through military force. The annexation halved Ukraines coastline and, along with the subsequent deployment of anti-ship and anti-air missiles, advanced Moscows big geostrategic goal of turning the Black Sea into a Russian-controlledlake.

This is a direct threat to U.S. and NATO security interests. The Black Sea has long been a geopolitically and economically important crossroads between Europe, Asia, and the Caucasus. Today, the seas floor is crisscrossed with oil and gas pipelines and fiber optic cables. Three of the six Black Sea countries Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania are in NATO. Another two alliance partners and aspiring members Ukraine and Georgia have suffered the direct impact of Russian aggression. Ukrainian solders die fighting for their country every week. One-fifth of Georgias internationally recognized territory is under Russian occupation, including a sizeable amount of Georgias Black Seacoastline.

Soon after Russias invasion of Ukraine, the United States and several other NATO members stepped up their presence in the Black Sea. But that presence waned, and notwithstanding Secretary-General Jens Stoltenbergs 2017 pledge to send more alliance ships to the region, it remainsinsufficient.

Part of the problem is the 1936 Montreux Convention, which limits the number, transit time, and tonnage of naval ships from non-Black Sea countries that may operate in the Bosphorus. For example, non-Black Sea state warships in the strait must not displace more than 15,000 tons apiece. No more than nine non-Black Sea state warships, with a total aggregate tonnage of no more than 45,000 tons, may pass at any one time, and they are permitted to stay for no longer than 21 days. To be sure, NATO navies have shrunk since the Cold War, reducing the number available for Black Sea operations. Yet the limits remain a problemnonetheless.

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There are four creative ways that the Alliance should consider to get around these restrictions and increase its presence in the BlackSea:

1. Establish a Black Sea Maritime Patrol mission modeled on the successful Baltic Air Policing mission, in which non-Black Sea members would commit to a regular and rotational maritime presence in the Black Sea. This would be the fastest and most effective way to increase NATOs presence there, but a lack of political will, coupled with the reduced size of Europeans navies, makes itunlikely.

2. Germanys Danube option. According to Article 30 of the 1948 Convention Regarding the Regime of Navigation on the Danube, only Danubian countries can operate naval vessels in the Danube River. However, if a Danubian country wants to enter a stretch of the Danube River falling outside its territorial jurisdiction, then it must first get the permission of the relevant Danubianstate.

As the Romanians routinely show with their three frigates, warships of 8,000 tons or less can travel 50 miles upriver to the port of Braila. The only Danubian country that is not on the Black Sea, but still has a navy, is Germany. Therefore, by Romania inviting Germany into its section of the Danube River, it would allow the German Navy reset the clock on the 21-daylimit.

Last year, Germany sent just one ship a 3,500-ton Elbe-class tender into the Black Sea for a total of only 18 days. This Danube option, unique to Germany because it is a Danubian state, would allow it to step up the plate in a way other members of the Alliance cannot in the BlackSea.

3. The Danube-Black Sea Canal option. This man-made canal in Romania might offer an opportunity for non-Danubian and non-Black Sea states to reset the clock on the 21-day limit in the Black Sea in a similar way that Germany could do so using the Danube River. However, the canal is relatively small at 90 meters wide and can only handle ships up to 5,000tons.

In 2019, a total of 13 naval vessels displacing less than 5,000 tons from Canada, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, the U.S. and the UK entered the Black Sea in ships that could, in theory, operate in the canal. However, this option would likely require money to modernize and adapt the canal for duel civilian-military use. Also, force protection measures such as air defense capabilities would need to be considered. NATO should work with Romania to conduct a feasibility assessment on the possibility of using thecanal.

4. A NATO-certified Center of Excellence on Black Sea Security in Georgia. There is no precedent for such a center in a non-NATO country, but there is nothing practically or legally preventing it from happening. Establishing one could improve NATO-Georgia relations while demonstrating how important the Black Sea region has become for Europes overall security. The Center would provide an opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue and training in how to address the challenges associated with Black Sea security. It was also serve as another way to fly the NATO flag inGeorgia.

Some of these proposals are easier than others. Some would require only additional political will. Some are unconventional and would require a change in traditional thinking. Some might require additionalfunding.

All of these proposals require full involvement and consultation with Turkey, the NATO member with sovereign control of the straits. It should be explained to Ankara that nothing NATO will do in the Black Sea is meant to undermine this control. The goal is to increase NATOs presence in the Black Sea to deter, and if required defeat, Russianaggression.

One might reasonably ask about the feasibility of placing a very expensive warship into a narrow canal or river. There are three reasons why this is not anissue.

First, any ship entering the Black Sea has to travel through a very narrow body of water anyway. At its narrowest point, the Bosphorus Strait is 700 meters wide. This strait is also very congested, with civilian maritime traffic reducing maneuverability evenmore.

Secondly, ships using the Bosphorus are prohibited from launching aircraft while transiting. This makes air defense and other force protections measures that are routine when a warship transits through a narrow body of water more difficult. This would not be a problem on the Danube River or the Black Sea-DanubeCanal.

Finally, the use of the Danube River or the canal would only be done during peacetime. After all, during a time of war Turkey has even more control over the entry and exit of the BlackSea.

While NATOs interest in Black Sea security is increasing, the overall presence of non-Black Sea NATO warships is not keeping up the pace. Something needs to change. The economic, security, and political importance of the Black Sea and the broader region is only becoming more important. NATO members need to be protected. The Alliance needs to chart a path to membership for Georgia and Ukraine. NATO must be prepared for any contingency withRussia.

The Alliance is required to defend Sofia and Bucharest in the same way it must defend Seville and Brussels. Just because the geo-political circumstances of the Black Sea make NATOs mission there harder, does not mean the region can be ignored. With Russia increasing its military capability in the region, now is not the time for NATO to growcomplacent.

Until NATO starts thinking creatively about complex challenges like increasing its presence in the Black Sea, Russia will continue to have the upperhand.

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To Boost NATO's Presence in the Black Sea, Get Creative - Defense One

The Netherlands likely to scrap NATO spending target – EURACTIV

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The Capitals brings you the latest news from across Europe, through on-the-ground reporting by EURACTIVs media network. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.

Before you start reading todays edition of the Capitals, feel free to have a look at the article Russia revamps its nuclear policy amid simmering tensions with NATO.

We would like to remind you that everyone at EURACTIV is keen to continue delivering top-quality content that covers the EU in a clear and unbiased way, despite being heavily impacted by the current crisis. As we, at EURACTIV, firmly believe that our readers should not have to access content via a paywall, we are asking you to consider making a contribution and thank all of you who already have. If you are interested in making a one-time or recurring donation, all you need to do is followthis link.

Now that many European countries have started lifting lockdown measures and opening borders, make sure you stay up to date with EURACTIVs comprehensive overview, which is regularly updated with the help of our network of offices and media partners. Also, check our country update pages, such as the ones for Austria and Croatia.

THE HAGUE

TheDutch government is unlikely to fulfill its NATO defence spending obligationswithin the next four years. The news comes after parliamentarians called Dutch defence minister Ank Bijleveld in for questioning on the so-called recalibration of the defence memorandum.Alexandra Brzozowski has the story.

Travel restrictions will be eased, meanwhile. From 15 June, the Netherlands is set to relax its advice on travel to most European countries in the Schengen area. The scale will go from code orange (only necessary journeys) to code yellow (security risks). The Dutch government is set to announce more details later on Wednesday.

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BERLIN

US Ambassador resigns. After weeks of speculation, US Ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, has formally resigned from his position. During his two-year tenure in Berlin, he had been the subject of ire for many in the country for his approach, described as unconventional and undiplomatic. He particularly focused on German defence spending and NATO commitments, and recently accused the country of eroding NATO solidarity. There is speculation that Grenell will join President Trumps 2020 reelection campaign. (Sarah Lawton | EURACTIV.de)

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PARIS

Forbidden demonstration against discrimination. Thousands of demonstrators gathered on Tuesday evening (2 June) in front of the Paris courthouse following a call for mobilisation by the Justice for Adama collective, and despite the protest being banned due to the COVID-19 health crisis.

24-year-old Adama Traor was found dead in the gendarmeries courtyard in Beaumont-sur-Oise following his arrest in July 2016. While the conclusions of the latest medical report, sent at the end of May to the judges investigating the case, exonerate the police, Traors family questioned the violent methods of the gendarmes. The movement reflects a distrust of the police, particularly in the Parisian suburbs, where there are many incidents and complaints of discrimination, and as American cities flare up after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. (EURACTIV.FR)

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BRUSSELS

Last deconfinement phase under discussion. Belgiums National Security Council is set to discuss the implementation of Phase 3 of the deconfinement process, which could start from next Monday (8 June). Alexandra Brzozowski has the details.

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LONDON

Parliament ends remote working. MPs faced the bizarre spectacle of queuing for over 40 minutes in socially-distanced lines outside the House of Commons to vote for an end to voting from home on Tuesday (2 June). Benjamin Fox reports from London.

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VIENNA

Government finally promotes COVID-19 tracing app. Austrias COVID-19 tracing app known as Stop-Corona developed by the Austrian Red Cross was again endorsed by the government after being one of the first of its kind in Europe on Tuesday (2 June). However, during a press conference, Health Minister Rudolf Anschober (Greens) said discussions about mandatory use are off the table, but nevertheless emphasised the apps importance for opening up the country further.

Although the app had got off to a good start, an increasing number of people began to have concerns about their privacy, particularly after conservative VP-politicians showed support for the apps mandatory use in early April. Since then, the app has vanished from the governments official information and Gerry Foitik, federal commander of the Austrian Red Cross, has repeatedly voiced frustration with the political communication surrounding the app. (Philipp Grll | EURACTIV.de)

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HELSINKI

Refugee camp returnees open political trenches. Three Finnish women and their nine children landed in Helsinki after escaping from the Syrian al-Hol refugee camp, according to a statement by Finlands foreign affairs ministry on Sunday evening (31 May). Although these women were presumed to be married to ISIS fighters and may pose a future security risk according to the Finnish Intelligence and Security Service (SUPO), they could not, as Finnish citizens, be legally denied entry into the country. Pekka Vnttinen has more.

EUROPES SOUTH

ROME

Opposition protests on Republic Day. Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Rome in an anti-government protest organised by the right-wing Lega, the far-right Fratelli dItalia and the centre-right Forza Italia on Republic Day yesterday (2 June), for the first time since Italians celebrated the birth of the Italian Republic in 1946. Protesters defied social distancing rules marching next to each other. EURACTIV Italys Valentina Iorio has more.

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MADRID

Zero coronavirus-related deaths since Sunday. On Tuesday (2 June), Spain reported zero COVID-19-related deaths in the last 48 hours for the first time since March, as well as 71 new coronavirus infections, according to the health ministrys reports. In other words, it has been two consecutive days since the new infection rate has been below 100 for the first time since the outbreak.EURACTIVs partner EuroEFE reports.

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ATHENS

US, EU condemn Turkey but sanctions off the table for now. Both Washington and Brussels condemned Tuesday (2 June) Turkeys announcement that in three months it will start gas drilling activities in territories which are part of Greeces Exclusive Economic Zone.

EU spokesperson Peter Stano said that while sanctions were still on the table, it was premature to have such a discussion now. Meanwhile, Enlargement Commissioner Olivr Vrhelyi has confirmed that Ankara will join the club of EU-hopeful countries that will receive EU funds under the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA). Why does Europe hesitate?

VISEGRAD

BRATISLAVA

Getting ahead of the Trianon centenary. Trianon cannot become a burden that would prevent Slovaks and Hungarians to look to the future, Slovak Foreign Minister Ivan Korok said during his visit to Budapest, where he met his Hungarian counterpart, Foreign Minister Pter Szijjrt, according to the TASR agency.

The approaching centenary of the Trianon Peace Treaty (June 4) from 1920 through which Hungary lost substantial territories after the WWI, including those that now form Slovakia is a sensitive issue on both sides of the border. EURACTIV Slovakias Zuzana Gabriov looks into what the two ministers had to say.

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WARSAW

Poland to open borders within days, maybe weeks. It is a matter of days, maybe weeks, until Poland reopens borders between the countries of the region, foreign minister, Jacek Czaputowicz, said on Tuesday (2 June) during a summit of foreign ministers with the Baltic states in Estonia. Alexandra Brzozowski has the details.

NEWS FROM THE BALKANS

SOFIA

Anti-Bulgarian election campaign in Skopje under fire. The anti-Bulgarian campaign in Northern Macedonia in recent days is due to the upcoming elections there, Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva has said.

Part of the reason for the anti-Bulgarian speech in Macedonia is the nationalist approach, which they think still works during elections. But when you aspire to be part of the European family, it should not occur to any politician to say so. This rhetoric, aimed at a neighbouring and friendly country, is full of fake news and hate speech, Zaharieva told national television (BNT). (Krassen Nikolov | EURACTIV.bg)

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BUCHAREST

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ZAGREB

Post-lockdown migrant pressure. The pressure of illegal migrants along the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia in the northwestern Bosnian canton Una-Sana is rising as lockdown measures are being loosened, the local police authorities said on Tuesday (2 May). EURACTIV Croatias Karla Junicic takes a closer look.

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In other news, a grant agreement for the Early Warning and Crisis Management System project worth HRK63 million (8.3 million), of which 85% will be drawn from EU funds, was signed on Tuesday (2 June) by the countrys interior ministry.

The crisis management system should facilitate the process of informing citizens, via mobile phone, about threats and measures that must be taken to reduce casualties and material damage, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic and Environment and Energy Minister Tomislav Coric, who signed the agreement. (Karla Junicic, EURACTIV.hr)

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LJUBLJANA

Is Austria dragging its feet on reopening Slovenia border? Slovenes in Austrias Carinthia region, united in the Slovenian Consensus for Constitutional Rights (SKUP) initiative, demand that Austria opens its border with Slovenia, writes the leading newspaper Delo.

Austria has already announced the reopening of borders with Germany, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia, Delo has said, adding that there is no official announcement yet for Slovenia, while Austrian media say this is expected to happen on 15 June. EURACTIVs Zoran Radosavljevi looks into it.

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BELGRADE

Varhelyi heralds major investments in Western Balkans.EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi said on Tuesday (2 June) that major investments in economic growth linked to the COVID-19 recovery would be made to support the Western Balkans.

Along with increasing EU guarantees up to 130 billion for investments in southern and eastern EU neighbours and the West Balkan region, he said that an additional 10.5 billion would be set aside through the EU Development Fund to support the neighbourhood. EURACTIV Serbia reports.

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In other news, Serbia has only partially implemented two of recommendations of the Council of Europes Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), according to ECRIs press release published Tuesday (2 June). The two recommendations are linked to prohibiting the use of hate speech by government officials and MPs and to hiring a proportionate number of Roma in the public administration. Read more.

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US Ambassador to Serbia Anthony Godfrey has commented on the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed African-American man who died at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer. Read more.

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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Benjamin Fox]

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The Netherlands likely to scrap NATO spending target - EURACTIV

Trump’s decision to ditch another treaty with Russia is a reckless own goal – Business Insider

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President Donald Trump's recent decision to withdraw from the 1992 Open Skies Treaty, which has helped keep the post-Cold War peace, raises the long-term risk of armed conflict in Europe. While unfortunate, abandoning this 34-nation confidence-building measure is consistent with Trump's years-long policy of confidence-demolition.

First proposed by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1955 and negotiated under the George H.W. Bush administration, Open Skies allows signatories, including the United States and Russia, to fly unarmed observation aircraft over one another's territory. This helps build a measure of transparency and trust regarding each countries' military forces and activities, thereby enhancing stability and reducing the risk of conflict.

Under the terms of the treaty, every detail of each flight is agreed to ahead of time by both the surveilling and the surveilled party, from the flight plan to the plane's airframe to the type of camera. These flights allow short-notice coverage of territory that is not readily photographed by satellites, which cannot be immediately shifted from fixed orbits and which cannot penetrate cloud cover optically.

No treaty adherent has benefited more from its transparency than the United States, which together with its allies overflies Russia far more often than Russia can overfly NATO countries.

Master Sgt. David Dines reloads the film magazine on a panoramic camera in an OC-135B observation aircraft while flying over Haiti, January 16, 2010. US Air Force/Senior Airman Perry Aston

The administration's May 22 notification that it will formally leave the treaty in November is fundamentally at odds with the interests of the US and its allies. In response to Trump's decision, 10 European nations, including prominent NATO allies like France and Germany, issued a statement expressing "regret" and said they will continue to implement the treaty, which "remains functioning and useful."

The administration is correct that Russia has violated the treaty by restricting overflight of certain areas, namely the Kaliningrad exclave and Russia's borders with the contested regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia, which only Moscow recognizes as independent states. Those violations, while they must be addressed, do not negate the fundamental value of the treaty and certainly do not justify withdrawal.

As some members of Congress have pointed out, the notification of withdrawal is also illegal. The Open Skies Treaty was the brain-child of Republican presidents and enjoyed bipartisan support, so Congress last year included a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act which Trump himself signed requiring the administration give 120 days' notice before announcing intent to withdraw from the treaty. The deliberate decision to ignore this requirement is yet another sign of the Trump administration's willingness to flout congressional authority.

Even setting questions of legality aside, the substance of the announcement is internally inconsistent.

The administration simultaneously argued that the treaty is not useful because Open Skies aircraft can't detect anything that is not already visible from satellites, but also that Russian planes were vacuuming up valuable information about nonmilitary infrastructure in the US. It argued that Russia's activities were inconsistent with the "spirit" not the letter of the treaty, while ignoring the fact that the US and its NATO allies have collected similar information in more than 500 flights over Russian territory since the treaty came into force.

Exiting the treaty will further isolate Washington from its NATO allies, all of whom urged the Trump administration to remain. Indeed, the decision seems intended to reinforce the message Trump has been sending to NATO throughout his presidency: that the 70-year-old alliance cannot rely on the United States.

NATO members that possess less advanced intelligence capabilities than the US have placed great value on the mandatory sharing among all Open Skies signatories of the images collected from surveillance flights. No NATO ally is likely to join the US in withdrawing.

Navy Lt. Bethany Baker monitors the OC-135B observation aircraft's location using a GPS and laptop, over Haiti on January 16, 2010. US Air Force/Senior Airman Perry Aston

There may be little immediate effect from the US withdrawal. In fact, there were no Open Skies flights conducted at all in 2018, yet this did not provoke any military disaster. Still, in the long run, withdrawing from the treaty will undoubtedly damage the national security of the US as well as its allies and partners in Europe.

The treaty's value has been demonstrated repeatedly during moments of crisis, as when Open Skies flights observed a massive Russian military buildup on the borders of Ukraine in 2014. The sharing of such images, unlike those obtained by satellites, is immediate, and in this case may have deterred a more open Russian invasion of Ukraine. The next time crisis strikes, such as heightened tensions on Russia's borders with Georgia or Ukraine, NATO will not be able to mobilize an overflight as rapidly as it could with advanced US aircraft.

All the national security benefits of withdrawing from the treaty will accrue to Russia, which will be able to schedule more collection flights over its neighbors and NATO members, including over US bases and military deployments in Europe. And NATO's diminished capability to fly over Russia means Moscow will have greater latitude to deploy forces to its borders.

This will pose a particular risk for Ukraine, which is still in an active conflict with Russian-backed separatists in its eastern regions, and which pleaded with Washington to remain in the treaty. Russia, meanwhile, can continue to argue with increasing credibility that it is the United States that is stoking a new arms race.

Of still greater concern is what this decision reveals about the Trump administration's approach to the very concept of arms control.

When Russia violated the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, or INF, I acknowledged that US withdrawal from the treaty could be justified as a result. But I also argued that withdrawing from the INF without any action plan to redress Russia's violations was ill-advised, and only served Moscow's propaganda interests. The same critique applies doubly in this case.

Russia's violations of Open Skies are marginal, preventing coverage of less than 1% of Russian territory, and they are not central to the treaty's objectives, as was the case with Moscow's violations of the INF. In that case, Russia was not just playing games with the rules, but was repeatedly found to be building the very types of missiles whose elimination was the entire point of the INF.

President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Associated Press

The administration has made clear that it is ready to withdraw from any treaty that is not being implemented fully. Of course, it is also prepared to withdraw from agreements that are being implemented fully, as with the Iran nuclear deal. It appears to believe despite the complete absence of evidence to support it that this approach increases pressure on Russia and will force it to compromise on this and related nuclear issues.

The same preference for confrontation over restraint seems also to be the motivating factor for the administration's dithering on the urgent need to renew the New START Treaty, the only remaining treaty that verifiably limits the strategic deployed nuclear arsenals of the United States and Russia.

Trump says he would prefer a better deal involving not just Russia but also China. But because a complex new agreement simply cannot be concluded before the treaty's expiration in February 2021, many experts suspect Trump's rationale is simply a pretext for leaving New START.

In another sign that Trump's team is prepared to escalate tensions, The Washington Post recently reported that White House officials discussed the potential of resuming US nuclear weapons testing, which would break a moratorium that has been in place since 1992.

A senior official speaking to the Post claimed that by demonstrating the US ability to "rapid test" a nuclear device, it could put pressure on Russia and China in future arms control negotiations. In fact, such a move would instead give a green light to China, Russia, North Korea, India and Pakistan to break their own nuclear test moratoriums, which could help them develop new and more dangerous warhead designs. This would unquestionably undermine American and global security, and yet the Trump team considers it a feasible option.

Trump has brought to crucial arms control issues the same approach he has brought to domestic politics, not to mention his personal legal and business issues: petulance, egomania, bullying and short-sightedness. Members of Congress from both parties have an opportunity in the coming days and weeks to take a principled stand, not only in favor of continued Open Skies adherence, but also against reckless tests of nuclear weapons for the purpose of political messaging.

Thomas Countryman is chair of the board of directors at the Arms Control Association in Washington, D.C. He was a career U.S. Foreign Service officer for 35 years until retiring in 2017, having most recently served as acting undersecretary of state for arms control and international security.

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Trump's decision to ditch another treaty with Russia is a reckless own goal - Business Insider

Bailey to take command of Aviano’s 31st Fighter Wing – Stars and Stripes

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AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy Brig. Gen. Jason E. Bailey is scheduled to take command of Avianos 31st Fighter Wing during a virtual ceremony Friday, wing officials said.

Bailey takes over command from Brig. Gen. Daniel T. Lasica, who will assume command of the 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force-Afghanistan, as well as concurrent leadership roles with NATO and Air Forces Central Command.

Lasica, who arrived at Aviano in June 2018, will now be responsible for the integration of air and space power in support of NATOs Resolute Support mission.

Bailey returns to Aviano after previously serving as the commander of the 31st Operations Support Squadron, as well as an instructor pilot and chief of wing plans and programs from 2011 to 2013.

Bailey is a 1995 Air Force Academy graduate who has also served overseas as the flight lead and flight commander of the 80th Fighter Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, South Korea; commander of the 455th Expeditionary Operations Group at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan; and commander of the 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany.

Bailey will command the only permanently assigned Air Force fighter aircraft wing in NATOs southern region. With approximately 4,200 active duty military members, nearly 300 U.S. civilians and 700 Italian civilian employees, the wing conducts and supports air combat operations, and maintains munitions for NATO.

llamas.norman@stripes.comTwitter: @normanllamas

Brig. Gen. Daniel T. Lasica, outgoing commander of the 31st Fighter Wing at Aviano Air Base, Italy.U.S. AIR FORCE

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A Human-Centric World of Work: Why It Matters, and How to Build It – Singularity Hub

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Long before coronavirus appeared and shattered our pre-existing normal, the future of work was a widely discussed and debated topic. Weve watched automation slowly but surely expand its capabilities and take over more jobs, and weve wondered what artificial intelligence will eventually be capable of.

The pandemic swiftly turned the working world on its head, putting millions of people out of a job and forcing millions more to work remotely. But essential questions remain largely unchanged: we still want to make sure were not replaced, we want to add value, and we want an equitable society where different types of work are valued fairly.

To address these issuesas well as how the pandemic has impacted themthis week Singularity University held a digital summit on the future of work. Forty-three speakers from multiple backgrounds, countries, and sectors of the economy shared their expertise on everything from work in developing markets to why we shouldnt want to go back to the old normal.

Gary Bolles, SUs chair for the Future of Work, kicked off the discussion with his thoughts on a future of work thats human-centric, including why it matters and how to build it.

Work seems like a straightforward concept to define, but since its constantly shifting shape over time, lets make sure were on the same page. Bolles defined work, very basically, as human skills applied to problems.

It doesnt matter if its a dirty floor or a complex market entry strategy or a major challenge in the world, he said. We as humans create value by applying our skills to solve problems in the world. You can think of the problems that need solving as the demand and human skills as the supply, and the two are in constant oscillation, including, every few decades or centuries, a massive shift.

Were in the midst of one of those shifts right now (and we already were, long before the pandemic). Skills that have long been in demand are declining. The World Economic Forums 2018 Future of Jobs report listed things like manual dexterity, management of financial and material resources, and quality control and safety awareness as declining skills. Meanwhile, skills the next generation will need include analytical thinking and innovation, emotional intelligence, creativity, and systems analysis.

With the outbreak of coronavirus and its spread around the world, the demand side of work shrunk; all the problems that needed solving gave way to the much bigger, more immediate problem of keeping people alive. But as a result, tens of millions of people around the world are out of workand those are just the ones that are being counted, and theyre a fraction of the true total. There are additional millions in seasonal or gig jobs or who work in informal economies now without work, too.

This is our opportunity to focus, Bolles said. How do we help people re-engage with work? And make it better work, a better economy, and a better set of design heuristics for a world that we all want?

Bolles posed five key questionssome spurred by impact of the pandemicon which future of work conversations should focus to make sure its a human-centric future.

1. What does an inclusive world of work look like? Rather than seeing our current systems of work as immutable, we need to actually understand those systems and how we want to change them.

2. How can we increase the value of human work? We know that robots and software are going to be fine in the futurebut for humans to be fine, we need to design for that very intentionally.

3. How can entrepreneurship help create a better world of work? In many economies the new value thats created often comes from younger companies; how do we nurture entrepreneurship?

4. What will the intersection of workplace and geography look like? A large percentage of the global workforce is now working from home; what could some of the outcomes of that be? How does gig work fit in?

5. How can we ensure a healthy evolution of work and life? The health and the protection of those at risk is why we shut down our economies, but we need to find a balance that allows people to work while keeping them safe.

The end result these questions are driving towards, and our overarching goal, is maximizing human potential. If we come up with ways we can continue to do that, well have a much more beneficial future of work, Bolles said. We should all be talking about where we can have an impact.

One small silver lining? We had plenty of problems to solve in the world before ever hearing about coronavirus, and now we have even more. Is the pace of automation accelerating due to the virus? Yes. Are companies finding more ways to automate their processes in order to keep people from getting sick? They are.

But we have a slew of new problems on our hands, and were not going to stop needing human skills to solve them (not to mention the new problems that will surely emerge as second- and third-order effects of the shutdowns). If Bolles definition of work holds up, weve got ours cut out for us.

In an article from April titled The Great Reset, Bolles outlined three phases of the unemployment slump (were currently still in the first phase) and what we should be doing to minimize the damage. The evolution of work is not about what will happen 10 to 20 years from now, he said. Its about what we could be doing differently today.

Watch Bolles talk and those of dozens of other experts for more insights into building a human-centric future of work here.

Image Credit: www_slon_pics from Pixabay

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Devin Townsend shares an hour of new ambient music – Louder

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Since the lockdown began, Devin Townsend has kept himself busy with his Quarantine Concerts and podcast series.

And now the Canadian musician has uploaded a stream titled Guitar Improvisation #1 a flowing ambient piece which clocks in at just over an hour.

Townsend says: Its been a strange week and I have been writing a lot of strange music. Amidst the more tumultuous stuff thats appeared, I often find it therapeutic for me to just simply play guitar in the mornings, and over the years I've kind of 'developed' a sort of chilled-out, ambient guitar technique.

This isn't meant to be focussed on, its meant to be a sort of wash that you can play while working, chilling, or creating something thats my hope at least.

I like playing like this, and in fact, I would say 80% of what I play with a guitar in my hand over the last decade or so ends up sounding something like this.

I had recorded some of it in the background of the podcasts which I will be continuing and was asked to post it, but it made more sense to me to do a fresh one here.

Townsend adds: Lots of people still think Im secretly the same raging metalhead I was in my mid 20s, but it has been a few decades since I legitimately felt that way.

This improvisation is one take with a bathroom break I edited out and I used a Sadowsky Telecaster and a Fractal AX-8 for the sound. Art for this and the podcast are done by my good friend Travis Smith at Seempieces.

Hopefully its helpful to some of you who need a sonic break. Thanks again for the ability to do this. Ill release this in a physical form if theres any interest. I really like echo.

Townsend will also release Empath: The Ultimate Edition this coming Friday (June 5) through InsideOutMusic.

The revamped version of his 2019 album will be spread across 2CDs and 2 Blu-ray and, along with the original album, will feature a wealth of bonus material, including demos and live cuts.

Devin Townsend: Empath - The Ultimate Edition

CD11. Castaway2. Genesis3. Spirits Will Collide4. Evermore5. Sprite6. Hear Me7. Why?8. Borderlands9. Requiem10. Singularity: Adrift11. Singularity: I Am I12. Singularity: There Be Monsters13. Singularity: Curious Gods14. Singularity: Silicone Scientists15. Singularity: Here Comes The Sun!

CD21. The Contrarian (Demo)2. King (Demo)3. The Waiting Kind (Demo)4. Empath (Demo)5. Methuselah (Demo)6. This Is Your Life (Demo)7. Gulag (Demo)8. Middle Aged Man (Demo)9. Total Collapse (Demo)10. Summer (Demo)

Blu-ray 11. Castaway (5.1 Surround Mix)2. Genesis (5.1 Surround Mix)3. Spirits Will Collide (5.1 Surround Mix)4. Evermore (5.1 Surround Mix)5. Sprite (5.1 Surround Mix)6. Hear Me (5.1 Surround Mix)7. Why? (5.1 Surround Mix)8. Borderlands (5.1 Surround Mix)9. Requiem (5.1 Surround Mix)10. Singularity: Adrift (5.1 Surround Mix)11. Singularity: I Am I (5.1 Surround Mix)12. Singularity: There Be Monsters (5.1 Surround Mix)13. Singularity: Curious Gods (5.1 Surround Mix)14. Singularity: Silicone Scientists (5.1 Surround Mix)15. Singularity: Here Comes The Sun! (5.1 Surround Mix)16. Castaway (Stereo Mix Visualizer)17. Genesis (Stereo Mix Visualizer)18. Spirits Will Collide (Stereo Mix Visualizer)19. Evermore (Stereo Mix Visualizer)20. Sprite (Stereo Mix Visualizer)21. Hear Me (Stereo Mix Visualizer)22. Borderlands (Stereo Mix Visualizer)23. Why? (Stereo Mix Visualizer)24. Requiem (Stereo Mix Visualizer)25. Singularity: Adrift (Stereo Mix Visualizer)26. Singularity: I Am I (Stereo Mix Visualizer)27. Singularity: There Be Monsters (Stereo Mix Visualizer)28. Singularity: Curious Gods (Stereo Mix Visualizer)29. Singularity: Silicone Scientists (Stereo Mix Visualizer)30. Singularity: Here Comes The Sun! (Stereo Mix Visualizer)

Blu-ray 21. Empath Documentary2. Empath Album Commentary3. Genesis 5.1 Mixing Lesson4. Acoustic Gear Tour5. Intro (Live in Leeds 2019)6. Let It Roll (Live in Leeds 2019)7. Funeral (Live in Leeds 2019)8. Ih-Ah (Live in Leeds 2019)9. Deadhead (Live in Leeds 2019)10. Love? (Live in Leeds 2019)11. Hyperdrive! (Live in Leeds 2019)12. Terminal (Live in Leeds 2019)13. Coast (Live in Leeds 2019)14. Solar Winds (Live in Leeds 2019)15. Thing Beyond Things (Live in Leeds 2019)16. King (Official Video)

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Conversations on social progress: Week 3 at TED2020 – TED Blog

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For week 3 of TED2020, global leaders in technology, vulnerability research and activism gathered for urgent conversations on how to foster connection, channel energy into concrete social action and work to end systemic racism in the United States. Below, a recap of their insights.

When we see the internet of things, lets make an internet of beings. When we see virtual reality, lets make it a shared reality, says Audrey Tang, Taiwans digital minister for social innovation. She speaks with TED science curator David Biello at TED2020: Uncharted on June 1, 2020. (Photo courtesy of TED)

Audrey Tang, Taiwans digital minister for social innovation

Big idea: Digital innovation rooted in communal trust can create a stronger, more transparent democracy that is fast, fair and even fun.

How? Taiwan has built a digital democracy where digital innovation drives active, inclusive participation from all its citizens. Sharing how shes helped transform her country, Audrey Tang illustrates the many creative and proven ways technology can be used to foster community. In responding to the coronavirus pandemic, Taiwan created a collective intelligence system that crowdsources information and ideas, which allowed the government to act quickly and avoid a nationwide shutdown. The country also generated a publicly accessible map that shows the availability of masks in local pharmacies in order to help people get supplies, along with a humor over rumor campaign that combats harmful disinformation with comedy. In reading her job description, Tang elegantly lays out the ideals of digital citizenship that form the bedrock of the countrys democracy: When we see the internet of things, lets make an internet of beings. When we see virtual reality, lets make it a shared reality. When we see machine learning, lets make it collaborative learning. When we see user experience, lets make it about human experience. And whenever we hear the singularity is near, let us always remember the plurality is here.

Bren Brown explores how we can harness vulnerability for social progress and work together to nurture an era of moral imagination. She speaks with TEDs head of curation Helen Walters at TED2020: Uncharted on June 2, 2020. (Photo courtesy of TED)

Bren Brown, Vulnerability researcher, storyteller

Big question: The United States is at its most vulnerable right now. Where do we go from here?

Some ideas: As the country reels from the COVID-19 pandemic and the murder of George Floyd, along with the protests that have followed, Bren Brown offers insights into how we might find a path forward. Like the rest of us, shes in the midst of processing this moment, but believes we can harness vulnerability for progress and work together to nurture an era of moral imagination. Accountability must come first, she says: people have to be held responsible for their racist behaviors and violence, and we have to build safe communities where power is shared. Self-awareness will be key to this work: the ability to understand your emotions, behaviors and actions lies at the center of personal and social change and is the basis of empathy. This is hard work, she admits, but our ability to experience love, belonging, joy, intimacy and trust and to build a society rooted in empathy depend on it. In the absence of love and belonging, theres nothing left, she says.

Dr. Phillip Atiba Goff, Rashad Robinson, Dr. Bernice King and Anthony D. Romero share urgent insights into this historic moment. Watch the discussion on TED.com.

In a time of mourning and anger over the ongoing violence inflicted on Black communities by police in the US and the lack of accountability from national leadership, what is the path forward? In a wide-ranging conversation, Dr. Phillip Atiba Goff, the CEO of Center for Policing Equity; Rashad Robinson, the president of Color of Change; Dr. Bernice Albertine King, the CEO of the King Center; and Anthony D. Romero, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, share urgent insights into how we can dismantle the systems of oppression and racism responsible for tragedies like the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and far too many others and explored how the US can start to live up to its ideals. Watch the discussion on TED.com.

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How to Play a Market That Shrugs Off Everything – Barron’s

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The stock and options markets are suffering from what might be called Neropathy. Just as the Roman emperor Nero played his fiddle as Rome burned around his palace, the markets are seemingly oblivious to the pain and destruction that has enveloped much of the U.S. and the world.

Despite massive unemployment and severe economic contractions sparked by an as-yet incurable virus, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 index are nearing their highest levels ever. Not even days of nationwide protests sparked by the death of George Floyd while he was being arrested in Minneapolis have tarnished the stock markets momentum.

Tens of thousands of people are demonstrating in the streets, venting their anger about police brutality and social inequities that never seem to go away. President Donald Trump is bellicose. He berated governors for being weak, while his defense secretary told them to dominate the battlespace in their cities.

Earlier in the week, the Congressional Budget Office warned that it could take more than a decade for the economy to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. Yet the stock market marches ever higher. A key measure of the risk of owning stocks, the Cboe Volatility Index, or VIX, is purring like an innocent kitten that is lapping up dour economic reports like sweet milk.

Some credit the Federal Reserve for rescuing stocks for the second time in a decade with low rates and easy-money policies, but others fret that the mighty Fed put could ultimately be overcome by the added risks of the latest events.

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Michael Schwartz, Oppenheimer & Co.s chief options strategist, told Barrons that he is increasingly struck by the singularity of this moment in market history.

I have lived through many unique events over the past five decades on Wall Street, he says, but this market seems to defy all logic based on historical experiences and data.

Stock prices are driven by corporate earnings, and earnings are influenced by economic conditions here and abroad. The equity market doesnt seemingly reflect reality.

Since the S&P 500 bottomed on March 23, it has gained more than 37%, while many stocks and sector funds have experienced more dramatic advances.

Chris Jacobson, a Susquehanna Financial Group strategist, told clients that investors appear eager to look past headwinds including deteriorating relations between the worlds two largest economies, U.S. and China, that should suppress investor enthusiasm to buy equities.

The market is done with Buy the dip and sell the rip. Its now Buy the dip and buy the rip, Dennis Dick, a Bright Trading proprietary trader, tweeted on Wednesday.

Many investors are caught in the middle. They arent willing to sell and miss this extraordinary rally, but dont want to put new money in stocks at these high levels. We know that people are curious about how to participate in the stock market without taking on incredible risk. A solution: selling put or call options on the S&P 500.

Calls give a buyer the right to buy stocks at a certain price and time; selling them is a bet on the markets expected trading range. Puts give a buyer the right to sell stocks at a certain time and price; selling them expresses a view that prices will rally higher.

If the sellers are right, they collect a wad of cash, and if they are wrong, they roll the trade to another month and try again. Tax treatment is favorable60% of gains are taxed at long-term rates, while 40% are taxed as short-term gains.

The traditional S&P 500 trade is selling puts or calls that are 100 points above or below the indexs level, but some investors are updating the strategy to reflect the current market. They are using strike prices that are 200 points away from the market, reflecting the extraordinary price swings that now define this Neropathic market.

Email: editors@barrons.com

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Artificial Intelligence Technologies That Are Reshaping the World Right Now – Press Release – Digital Journal

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According to Moores Law, the technological solutions we have right now double in power and efficiency every two years which means we are getting closer and closer to the singularity event where technology and humanity intertwined with one another in ways that make both almost indistinguishable.

Artificial intelligence is certainly helping to usher in this new era of technology, especially a handful of breakthrough technologies that are changing the way that almost all businesses leverage AI.

In fact, a study conducted by Narrative Science reported that 62% of businesses around the world were using AI technology by 2018 and the odds are pretty good that this number has increased even more so in just the last 18 months or so.

The world of business and the world of finance have particularly eager early adapters of these technologies, taking advantage of everything AI has to offer to transform the way that we invest, the way that we bank and the way that we diagnose and fight illness and disease.

On top of that, though, you have companies large and small using machine learning technologies to better understand the magnitude of Big Data data collected in aggregate by the decisions all of us make online and through our apps, creating a more efficient and more streamlined world right under our noses.

Add in the fact that Virtual Assistant technology is almost ubiquitous these days (we use it on our phones, our tablets, our computers, our smart enabled devices like speakers at home, etc.) and it is starting to feel like artificial intelligence is everywhere around us.

Thats because it is!

We are closer than ever before to having full-blown robot assistants like they had in The Jetsons or on Star Wars, believe it or not. The combination of AI and robotics is pushing us further and further into the future, even if many technologies remain hidden from the public behind the doors of defense contractors or squirreled away and Silicone Valley (for right now, anyway).

Truth be told, we are still in the infancy of artificial intelligence and the impact it is going to have on our future.

Its impossible to know exactly how our world is going to be shaped and transformed by artificial intelligence in the years and decades to come. The only thing we can know for certain is that the change is very real and AI is going to be leading the charge no matter what.

Read the complete story here: https://www.fifthgeek.com/ai-tech-today/

Media ContactCompany Name: Fifth GeekContact Person: MarvinEmail: Send EmailPhone: +1 (503) 445 9558Country: United StatesWebsite: https://www.fifthgeek.com/

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Changes in Executive Order raise eyebrows – Daily Nation

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By JOHN KAMAU

By making subtle changes within the structure of government, including the name of his office from The Presidency to the Executive Office of the President, President Uhuru Kenyatta has left many confused on the hidden political agenda.

Executive Order No. 1 of 2020 issued Wednesday evening caused a stir with some commentators interpreting the changes to mean the Deputy President's office had been downgraded and tucked under the Executive Office of the President.

This innocent looking nomenclature change has huge legal implications... President denotes singularity of power ... Presidency is shared power, lawyer Donald Kipkorir said in a message on Twitter.

But some constitutional lawyers said nothing has changed, explaining the order as a mere regularisation of changes in government.

In the reorganisation, the National Development Implementation and Communication Committee, headed by Dr Fred Matiangi is not listed as one of the functions of the Interior ministry. Instead, a new role designated as Oversight and Co-ordination in delivery of National Priorities and Flagship Programmes has been created.

Whether the creation of the Cabinet as an institution under OP will lead to power shifts is not clear.

In the previous order, the Cabinet did not exist under institutions and was only listed as a function within the Presidency. It now means that President Kenyatta will have to appoint a substantive Secretary to the Cabinet, a position that is highly regarded within the government.

With the ongoing shifts in the political arena, whoever gets the seat will assume a superior position. The position was scrapped after President Kenyattas attempt to appoint Monica Juma into the seat hit a snag when he failed to get parliamentary approval in 2015.

By renaming the Presidency, the President also appeared to whittle down some of the glamour that comes with a presidential system perhaps in preparation for the constitutional changes proposed under the Building Bridges Initiative.

With this arrangement, DP William Ruto does not get any portfolio, and has to wait to be assigned duties. While he did not appoint his own staff, and his accounting officer was the State House Comptroller, Dr Ruto appears not to have lost anything other than glamour.

Also now within the Office of the President is the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) headed by Major General Mohamed Badi.

The NMS will now draw its funding from the Consolidated Funds Services (CFS), according to the new order. The order of January 14, and revised last month, thus gives NMS legal backing.

Without a legal instrument, the legitimacy of NMS has always been a subject of discussion with opinion among MPs divided whether it should draw funding from the CFS or the County Revenue Fund (CRF).

The PO shall also now be in charge of parliamentary liaison as well as co-ordination of constitutional commissions. The latter is likely to raise eyebrows considering that the commissions are supposed to be independent from the other arms of government.

In February, State House brokered a deal with Nairobi City County that saw the national government take over key functions from the devolved unit. Planning and management, transport, public works, health and ancillary services were transferred in the deal, which became effective on March 15. However, the NMS ran into headwinds in executing its functions after Governor Mike Sonko declined to sign the Countys Supplementary Appropriation Bill, 2020, effectively locking out of the Sh15 billion to implement the functions.

To save the NMS from a financial crisis, the national government allocated it Sh1.5 billion in the Supplementary Budget II approved by the National Assembly in April. In the 2020/21 budget estimates, the National Treasury has allocated NMS Sh27.9 billion.

This week, President Kenyatta and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga were sighted in Nairobi, at night inspecting the work being carried out by the NMS. The NMS is one of the projects that the President is updated on daily.

The executive order is copied to all key government institutions includng the Attorney-General, Cabinet Secretaries, Chief Administrative Secretaries, Principal Secretaries.

Why an executive order that was issued on May 11 was released Wednesday remains baffling.

Additional reporting by David Mwere.

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The Bulldozing Effect of the Black Square – Hyperallergic

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A timely Get Out meme tweeted by Monkeypaw Productions (original tweet here)

I woke up on Tuesday feeling bitter about the black squares dominating social media. Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agyemang, two Black women music executives, originally began the campaign #TheShowMustBePaused to draw attention to the ways the music industry profits off of Black talent. Though meant to be a show of solidarity against the various brutalizations of Black people, there is something inherently violent about the squares cumulative effect.

The internet is an archive. In a world where the historical materiality related to Black Americans is largely composed of property records, mugshots, and the relics of lynchings, we need to ask ourselves what the black square replaces and how it functions as an image.

Lets begin by considering the black square in relation to what scholar Tina Campt describes as the Black feminist praxis of futurity. This means that part of the critical work of this moment, particularly for Black people, is imagining a liberated future and talking about said future as if that which is required to secure it has already happened. As I consider this future, I imagine historians will look back on our self-documentation for meaning-making. In her book, Listening to Images, Campt asks that rather than solely processing them visually, we evaluate images based on their haptic registers that which is felt. To listen to an image, then, means being attuned to what we feel when we look at it.

In the US, black is the color of mourning. I believe part of what makes the black square powerful is that it communicates collective grief. Still, the flat, black square is an erasure. Where policing in the United States is rooted in hunting down runaway enslaved peoples and protecting the interests of white property owners, the black square gesture draws no connections between capitalism and the police force as protectors of white material wealth. I suspect that was part of the black squares allure: it didnt ask users to confront legacies of anti-Black violence and exploitation, and it fell short of a call to action you can be anti-abolition or pro-capitalist and still post a black square without betraying your values. Hence why businesses with long, anti-Black histories had no qualms about re-sharing the black square on their platforms.

The flat, black square is lifeless. When I imagine future historians confronting the black square, I think of the faces of those slain by police, swallowed up by such voids. Though certainly better than the circulation of videos that document their violent murders, these images are similarly imposed over the lives, joys, and families of Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and the many who have since been injured or murdered while participating in the global rebellions honoring them. Though meant to memorialize the countless victims of the global anti-Black machine and indicate the non-singularity of their deaths, the black square bulldozes over Black lives, leaving behind only a generalized ink-blot.

The flat, black square also acts as a void, devouring the valuable information protestors and organizers are trying to amplify. It drowns out the concrete, material steps we should take in this urgent moment. In fact, hours after users began posting the black square, activists began decrying the use of the square in conjunction with the Black Lives Matter hashtag, which people on the ground were using to distribute information about protests, protective coverings, and bail funds. Rather than seeing the vital information, those who ran a search for #Blacklivesmatter encountered pages and pages of black squares.

In the present, the black square says nothing about what is still needed to push things forward, and in the future, the black square will tell historians nothing about what we did.

As a gesture, the black square asks nothing of its viewers or distributors except to re-share and perform alliance with Black people. It prompts no learning, no engagement with any critical thoughts, and no material action. When we try to listen to the haptic registers of the flat, black squares, they exude nothing but deafening silence.

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Idea innovation contest comes to an end – The Financial Express

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Jamila Bupasha Khushbu | Published: June 03, 2020 22:04:19

While most people are sitting idly at home spending leisure time or wondering how to spend time, some bright minds are already looking for ways to revive the social and economic conditions of the country after quarantine. In order to get those intellectuals a stage to share their ideas, Interactive Cares organised an idea generation competition.

Interactive Cares is a cloud and artificial intelligence based platform of the country that offers e-learning, health, mental health and legal service to customers through real time communication between users and experts through chatting, video calling and virtual whiteboards, easy ask and resources.

This idea generation competition "Idea Innovation Contest 2020- Crafting Visions" aspires to be one of the biggest entrepreneurial platforms of the nation. Their vision is to create a platform for the young and aspiring entrepreneurs of Bangladesh to facilitate seamless flow of ideas. Due to this pandemic, many businesses are shutting down and the economy is on the brink of collapse. However, to save the economy from this mishap, entrepreneurs of the future has to play a vital role. And to do their part, they first need to come up with feasible business plans. Idea Innovation Contest was launched with the intention to find out those feasible business plans so that the effects of this handicapped situation can be lessened.

The selection round, semi-final and grand finale of this competition took place via online assessment. In the selection round, the participants had to provide meticulous solutions to some prevailing social issues. Out of nearly 256 registered teams, 24 teams went straight to the semi-finals. After heated competition in the semi final only six teams were able to secure their position to the glorious grand finale. Among these six teams, 'Team Cognitive Dissonance' from Bangladesh University of Professionals and 'Team FYB' from IBA, Dhaka University was declared as the champion and runner- up consecutively bagging a total prize money of Taka 100,000.

The idea of the champion team Cognitive Dissonance was to produce Trichoderma bio-compost, an organic fertilizer, from water hyacinths and poultry wastes through a convenient drum composting method that's not only inexpensive but also extremely environment friendly. The runner-up, Team FYB, came up with the idea of RojRoj, a micro-delivery, subscription-based platform that will incorporate small retail stores and vulnerable groups in society to reliably and regularly supply essentials to households.

Rare Al Samir, CEO of Interactive Cares stated, "Idea Innovation Contest was launched to find out the Innovative Business Ideas which can sustain, maintain profitability in pandemic situation and contribute to the economy of the country." CMO of Interactive Cares Fahim Shahriar Swapnil was also present at the grand finale.

The founder and CEO of Hult Prize Foundation and the chief guest of Idea Innovation Contest, Ahmed Ashkar described the importance of young generation to take lead for the growth of Bangladesh and also the discussed effective ways of being a successful entrepreneur.

The event was made successful with the contribution of six partners, 30 university affiliations, a bunch of campus ambassadors, more than 1,000 participants along with special guest Tina F Jabeen, investment advisor, Startup Bangladesh, and esteemed judge panel ornamented with other industry experts - Ghulam Sumdany Don, CEO of Don Sumdany Facilitation and Consultancy, Bijon Islam, co-founder and CEO of Lightcastle Partners, Sumit Saha, co-founder of Analyzen, Nahian Rahman Rochi, senior corporate finance manager, BATB, Syed Ibrahim Saajid, manager, Bkash Limited, Zafir Shafie Chowdhury, co-founder of Singularity and Bondstein and Muqit Ahmed, director of Digital Services, Banglalink. The host of the final was the popular host of What a Show and Senior Strategic Planner of Grey, Rafsan Sabab.

The writer is a content writer at Interactive Cares.She can be reached at khushbu_bhuiyan@yahoo.com

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Idea innovation contest comes to an end - The Financial Express

Gov. Beshear addresses protest shooting investigation, gives COVID-19 update – WSAZ-TV

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FRANKFORT, Ky (WSAZ) -- Gov. Beshear gave an update Tuesday regarding the deadly shooting that occurred during a weekend protest as well as the latest on Kentuckys COVID-19 response.

Gov. Beshear announced 155 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the states total to 10,185.

Three new deaths were reported overnight in Kentucky. 442 Kentuckians have now passed away from COVID-19 complications.

Gov. Beshear says 253,585 have now received a coronavirus test.

3,275 have recovered from the virus in the commonwealth.

Regarding the deadly protest shooing that involved police officers and the National Guard, Gov. Beshear says he told the team investigating the death of David McAtee to be fast and thorough.

According to Cabinet Secretary J. Michael Brown, the autopsy report seems to indicate that McAtee died of a single gunshot wound to the chest.

Thirteen people were interviewed at the house, following the shooting. Officials say seven weapons were recovered by police at the home.

Video from interior and exterior cameras have been obtained from that location, Brown says.

All the weapons involved by police and the national guard were inventoried and Brown says they believe a total of 18 shots were fired by officials that evening.

Brown says the goal is to get all the facts, get them quickly and be able to present, as much as possible, a clear determination of what happened shortly after midnight on June 1.

The Governor said: Our commitment is the truth, no matter what that truth is good, bad, ugly our commitment is the truth. Thats what the people of Kentucky deserve. Thats what the families involved in this deserve. And thats what were going to ensure happens.

For more information about the deadly shooting: click here

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Gov. Beshear addresses protest shooting investigation, gives COVID-19 update - WSAZ-TV

The challenges of containing the spread of COVID-19 in jail for both inmates and staff – KELOLAND.com

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Currently there are five cases of Minnehaha County Jail inmates with COVID-19, but there have been as many as six with the virus.

Once you add COVID-19 into the mix, those folks are still coming and going from jail and we still have very little control over whether or not theyre coming, Minnehaha County Sheriff Chief Deputy, Jeff Gromer, said.

Police officers screen people for COVID-19 before bringing them to jail. Those newly admitted are kept isolated in groups.

Once they get moved to housing, we move them to a particular housing unit thats been designated for new arrivals. We try to keep them in there for 14 days until we can determine theyre not going to have symptoms, or they do develop symptoms and obviously we are going to have to move them somewhere else, Gromer said.

Even with those measures, there are new cases.

Its one of those things that makes it so confusing and difficult, is that youll have a housing unit that has been fairly well isolated and all of a sudden, somebody will crop up with symptoms and its like, seriously, where did that come from? Gromer said.

Despite wearing PPE, eight of the jail staff have also tested positive. Some have since recovered.

Staff has to come and go every day. Staff has the same exposure as everyone else, every day, Gromer said.

The jail is not on lockdown, but the time that inmates are out of their cells has been reduced.

Once one group goes out and they shower and make phone calls and that kind of thing, and go back into their cellthey have to clean and sanitize that before they let the next group out. Its just a lot of work and it eats up a lot of the time of the day; which then is less time we can allow inmates to be out in that day area, Gromer said.

And that can lead to more unrest behind bars.

The jail environment is stressful under normal circumstances. Its more stressful for everybody involved now.

Gromer says the new Minnehaha County jail, which is set to open in July, will help ease a little of that stress with additional space.

The Minnehaha County Jail had to hospitalize one inmate with COVID-19 symptoms. He was released on a PR bond before being admitted to the hospital.

See more here:

The challenges of containing the spread of COVID-19 in jail for both inmates and staff - KELOLAND.com

People Are Avoiding The Doctor Due To COVID-19 Fears – Honolulu Civil Beat

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Fear of contracting the new coronavirus is causing people across Hawaii to delay medical procedures, skip doctor visits and avoid hospitals.

Mia Taylor, director of community and post-acute care services for the Queens Health Systems, said a concerning number of patients are canceling or postponing preventative care procedures, such as physical exams, mammograms and colonoscopies.

People are also taking serious risks by neglecting important features of chronic disease management like eye exams, echocardiography and diabetic foot exams.

Were super worried about this because we just feel like it could be the next pandemic or tsunami, if you will, of people who have put aside some of these very important evaluations, Taylor said. As a result we feel like we may see this big uptick in complications associated with chronic disease.

Emergency room visits are down by about half across the state, in part because people are putting off treatment for medical emergencies due to fears of contracting COVID-19.

Cory Lum/Civil Beat

Many facilities halted non-emergency procedures when the virus invaded Hawaii in March. This month, with fewer new COVID-19 cases confirmed daily, many hospitals across the state are starting to bring them back.

But health care workers say some patients are continuing to defer medical care.

Hospital executives say the revenue usually generated by these non-emergency services has dipped significantly. And with some patients still too leery of the virus to visit a medical facility, its unclear when this revenue shortfall will recover.

Were doing a big radio, TV, and newspaper ad campaign announcing that we are open for business, Taylor said. This hospital is cleaner now than its ever been just with all the new CDC guidance, and we are doing everything we can to keep patients and staff safe.

Health care providers are concerned that patients may be taking serious, potentially life-threatening risks by delaying treatment and preventative care.

In one case, Taylor said a patient who refused to seek medical care outside his home called his physician because he wasnt feeling well and thought he might have a urinary tract infection. The physician prescribed antibiotics.

Later on, a worried family member called the physician to say that the patient still seemed very ill but could not be convinced to go to the emergency room.

A nurse was sent to the patients home and ended up having to call 911. The patient had a potentially life-threatening infection.

The primary care doctor felt very strongly that had we not intervened when we did the patient would have died, Taylor said.

Emergency room visits are also down statewide, with Maui Memorial Medical Center reporting a 50% drop in ER visits in April and so far in May when compared to the same period last year.

The Maui hospital was the site of the states largest COVID-19 cluster outbreak, which state health regulators say is now considered closed. All told, 38 health care workers and 14 patients were infected in the cluster.

The outbreak raised public safety concerns after staff interviewed by Civil Beat said the hospital was slow to require health care workers to wear personal protective equipment and also told some staff not to wear it.

An investigation by state health officials concluded that the outbreak appears to have been started by a hospital staff member who was allowed to work while feeling sick.

Maui Memorial, where a coronavirus cluster outbreak prompted public safety concerns, reported a 50% drop in ER visits in April and so far in May.

Cory Lum/Civil Beat

Health officials say plummeting ER traffic across Hawaii is partly owed to the fact there have been fewer accidents and injuries while many people have been sequestered at home. But they acknowledge that other patients are ignoring even severe mental health and medical symptoms because they are frightened to enter a hospital or doctors office.

ER traffic is also down by about half at Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital and Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital, where Dr. Travis Parker, the emergency room medical director, said some people are staying away from the ER out of a sense of duty.

I see a lot of people who come in with emergency-worthy symptoms and they apologize, Oh Im sorry Im here taking up your time, because they perceive that we are so busy dealing with COVID, Parker said. They think theyre doing their part by not coming in.

Dr. Laura DeVilbiss, medical director at Kokua Kalihi Valley, said one of her patients didnt want to come into the clinic so she met her virtually with telemedicine for a follow-up appointment. The patient was doing fine at the time, DeVilbiss said.

But later in the day the patient developed symptoms consistent with a heart attack.

When she knew she was having a heart attack, she went right to the ER, DeVilbiss said. I think people are going when they really, really need to, at least thats what were hoping.

People who rely on public transportation have also been resistant to coming into the clinic, she said, because they didnt want to get on a bus especially in March and April when the risk of exposure to the virus was higher than it is now.

Dr. Annie Nguyen, a psychiatrist in Kailua, said she has seen an uptick in patients who are adamantly refusing to seek urgent medical care.

When she cant convince them to go to the hospital, she tries to persuade them to visit their primary care provider. When all else fails, she urges them to at least see a doctor through telemedicine.

I try to stay in my scope because I cant tell if someone has a broken foot, Nguyen said. But its obvious if someone cant breathe or theyve got a bone sticking out or theyre bleeding profusely that they need to get to the ER right away and getting people to go during the pandemic is sometimes a struggle.

By contrast, doctors say hospital admissions for psychiatric problems are up at some Hawaii facilities as the economy unravels and many feel isolated by public health restrictions.

Yet at the same time, some people in the throes of a mental health crisis, including those who are suicidal or who have overdosed, are showing a reluctance to seek emergency care due to COVID-19 fears.

Dr. Tanya Gamby, a psychologist on Kauai, said three of her patients who are suicidal have refused to go to the emergency room since mid-March.

One of those patients, she said, was in urgent need of emergency medical attention. Gamby said she ended up having to call the police, who showed up and insisted that this person go to the ER.

It was definitely scary as a mental health professional knowing our procedures were not really working because nobody wanted to go to the hospital and I wasnt really wanting to send anyone there either, Gamby said. It felt like I had a double crisis on my hands.

The other two patients who refused to go to the ER were not in active crisis, Gamby said. Out of concern, she said she provided them with extra therapy and more frequent check-ins.

Dr. Adrianna Flavin, a psychologist on Maui, said some of her suicidal patients have similarly expressed an unwillingness to go to the ER until the risk of contracting COVID-19 subsides.

There was at least one person over the last two months where Ive said to them, If you are suicidal and you do develop a plan, I want to strongly encourage you to go to the hospital. It will be really important, and they said, Oh, absolutely not, Flavin said.

They wont do it and they were telling me that upfront. And it was only because of the virus that they wouldnt go.

In many cases, theres no suitable stand-in for in-person medical treatment.

But telemedicine can sometimes be a useful substitute for patients who need to see a doctor and are unwilling or unable to leave their homes.

However, not everyone has access to the technology that telemedicine requires: a computer, tablet or smartphone and a steady internet connection. Others might have this technology but dont know how to use it.

Mia Taylor, director of community and post-acute care services for the Queens Health Systems, worries that if patients are skipping preventive procedures, they may see a big uptick in complications associated with chronic disease.

Cory Lum/Civil Beat

Some providers have been visiting patients in their homes during the pandemic to teach them how to use telemedicine. Others have resorted to talking with patients over the telephone.

In some households, tech-savvy children who are home from school are providing their parents and grandparents with readily available tech support.

At Queens Health Systems, a new team is working to figure out how to augment telemedicine with self-monitoring tools like blood pressure cuffs, scales, thermometers and pulse oximeters. For people with chronic conditions, consistent monitoring of these vital signs can be critical.

The medical group recently partnered with the American Heart Association to distribute 80 bluetooth-enabled blood pressure cuffs to chronic disease patients so they can monitor key vital signs and discuss them with a doctor without leaving their home.

Its not ideal obviously for people with chronic conditions, Taylor said. Many of them were used to seeing their doctor every one to two months. But its definitely, I think, a viable surrogate until we can really get patients comfortable coming back in to their providers.

Want more information on COVID-19 in Hawaii? You can read all of Civil Beats coronavirus coverage, find answers to frequently asked questions or sign up for email newsletter updates all for free. And check out pictures of how community groups and volunteers have been helping out in our Community Scrapbook.

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People Are Avoiding The Doctor Due To COVID-19 Fears - Honolulu Civil Beat

Coronavirus daily news updates, June 2: What to know today about COVID-19 in the Seattle area, Washington state and the world – Seattle Times

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Editors note: This is a live account of COVID-19 updates from Tuesday,June 2, as the day unfolded. Tofind resources and the latest extended coverage of the pandemic,click here.

As George Floyd protests continue in Seattle and throughout the state, experts and public health officials worry thatthe first large gatherings since the pandemic was declaredcould set back the regions recovery from the novel coronavirus.

In King County, which plans toapply to enter a modified Phase 1 of coronavirus recovery soon, health officials recommend that anyone who attends a group gathering should monitor their health for 14 days afterward. While they encouraged the public to continue staying home whenever possible, several top health officials said they understood the outrage communities of color are feeling and did not ask the public to refrain from attending protests.

Throughout Tuesday, on this page, well post updates from Seattle Times journalists and others on the pandemic and its effects on the Seattle area, the Pacific Northwest and the world. Updates from Monday can be found here, and all our coronavirus coverage can be found here.

The following graphic includes the most recent numbers from the Washington State Department of Health, released Tuesday.

Before the pandemic, Trevor Bedford was best known in a small circle of bioinformatics specialists who use rapid genomic analysis to monitor pathogens like the Ebola virus as they evolve and spread.

Bedford and his colleagues at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the virus-tracking project called Nextstrain were perfectly positioned to serve as a kind of central, scientific command when the novel coronavirus emerged, documenting the tendrils of contagion that followed air and transit corridors, and noting every mutation and genetic quirk along the way.

What had been a little-known field where computer technology and genetics intersected was suddenly a matter of global urgency.

BedfordsTwitter feed, which now has nearly 250,000 followers, has become a must-read for infectious disease experts and armchair epidemiologists. Health officials turn to the computational biologist and his colleagues for insight and analysis. When genetic sequencing of the first two cases in Washington state suggested the virus had been spreading silently through the community for six weeks and was poised for exponential growth, Bedford sounded the alarm Feb. 29 via a long Twitter thread spelling out his reasoning and helped galvanize the public health response.

Read the full story here.

Sandi Doughton

A Seattle-based factory trawler cut short its fishing season off the Washington coast after 85 of 126 crew tested positive for COVID-19 in screening results obtained Saturday,according to a statement released by vessel operator American Seafoods.

The test results for the FV American Dynasty are a somber finding for the North Pacific fishing industry, which has been trying to keep the novel coronavirus off the ships and out of the shore-based plants that produce much of the nations seafood.

The outbreak also underscores the toll coronavirus continues to take on the food processing industry across the nation. In Washington state, outbreaks in meat plants, fruit and vegetable fields and packing facilities prompted Gov. Jay Inslee to order new protections for agricultural and food processing workers.

Only if there were no signs that they were actively infected or contagious were they cleared to board their vessel, American Seafoods chief executive Mikel Durham said in a written statement.

Somehow, the virus still found its way on board.

Read the full story here.

Hal Bernton

The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted Americas adversarial system of justice like nothing before it, chipping away at the bedrock guarantee of American jurisprudence the right to a trial by jury.

There has not been a jury trial in Western Washington perhaps in the entire state since early March. While the wheels of justice still turn some hearings are still held, arraignments and pleas are taken for the most part they are spinning in place.

The federal courthouses in Seattle and Tacoma have been shuttered by judicial order: Pretrial proceedings are done either by video, telephone or postponed. In the busier state courts, where locking the doors hasnt been an option, the daily docket call looks very different than it did just four months ago.

Some worrythat, as the weeks and cases pile up, the pandemic-caused delays threaten to turnone of our most revered legal maxims into something more like an accusation: Justice delayed is justice denied.In many cases despite efforts to ease jail populations there are citizens accused of crimes, innocent until proven guilty, who wait in custody, unsure when their case will ever be heard.

Read the full story here.

Mike Carter and Sara Jean Green

For months, researchers at the Pasteur Institute in Dakar, a prestigious biomedical research center in Senegal, have been working to produce a low-cost, rapid, at-home test for the coronavirus the kind that countries across Africa and elsewhere have been most eager to have.

Now the coronavirus has infected a cluster of staff members at the institute, one of whom has died, according to its director, Dr. Amadou Sall. He did not say how many workers had tested positive, but local media reports said it was five.

People they have been in contact with have been isolated and the work is continuing, according to Cheikh Tidiane Diagne, a researcher at the lab.

The centers work has been crucial in efforts to contain the spread of the virus in West Africa: In the early stages of the outbreak, it trained laboratory staff from more than a dozen countries in how to test for the virus.

The New York Times

Members of the state education departments new 123-member work group, which recently formed to study school reopening options, met virtually on Tuesday to begin mapping out everything from transportation to school lunch in a world transformed by the novel coronavirus.

The work group is studying scenarios intended to help districts improve how theyll function next school year. When Gov. Jay Inslee closed school buildings statewide in mid-March, school districts worked independently to devise remote learning plans. But distance learning ended up uneven across the state. Families of students in special education say children arent getting services theyre legally entitled to. Homeless students and those from low-income homes are going without basic needs, such as hot meals and mental health support. Young children need extra help from parents to stay on task.

On Tuesday, much of the conversation centered on how reopening plans could best serve these children.

For example, the work group is studying a strategy that would rotate students through school buildings a few days a week. Under this scenario, work group members suggested, children who need extra support could come to school more often than their peers.

Another idea: In-person learning could be phased in, with the youngest learners, and those with extra needs, welcomed back first.

Read the full story here.

Hannah Furfaro

Of all the beats covered by The Chicago Tribune, perhaps none has a higher profile than the Cook County courthouse, the scene of real-life dramas like the trial of mob boss Al Capone and TV shows like The Good Wife and Hill Street Blues.

With 36 felony courtrooms, it is one of the nations busiest courthouses, brags The Tribune in its web bio of criminal courts reporter Megan Crepeau. She cranks out a story every day during a big trial, sometimes three if there is breaking news on other cases.

But this spring and summer, Tribune readers get no Crepeau for one week every month.She is one of dozens of Tribune employees intermittently idled to help the newspapers owners cut costs to stay solvent during the advertising drop-off caused by the pandemic. Colleagues fill in, but they have multiple responsibilities, which raises the question of who is keeping an eye on the judicial branch of government.

But even before the pandemic which The New York Times calculates has cost 38,000 media workers all or part of their jobs journalisms watchdogs were being pulled off their beats by an internal force: disinvestment.

Read the full column here.

Dean Miller, Seattle Times Free Press editor

Los mircoles, durante una hora y media, en la Escuela Media Franklin del Distrito Escolar Yakima se forma una fila de espera por comida.

Seis filas de automviles se forman en el estacionamiento de la escuela, dijo la directora Sherry Anderson, y la polica local ayuda a dirigir el trfico. En cada vehculo, padres y nios esperan recibir una provisin semanal de alimentos, un sustento en medio de una pandemia que afect a la comunidad industrial y agrcola de Yakima Valley en Washington.

La Escuela Media Franklin es una de las siete que ofrece este servicio en el distrito de 16,400 estudiantes. Yakima distribuy ms comidas que los distritos mucho ms grandes, de acuerdo con una encuesta que el estado hizo asus aproximadamente 300 sistemas escolares durante el cierre.

Laencuesta semanal, que pregunta sobre comidas, cuidado infantil, el aprendizaje remoto y la graduacin, ofrece una pequea ventana hacia la manera cmo Yakima y otros distritos tienen xito y enfrentan los problemas desde que las escuelas cerraron hace seis semanas. Desde que la Oficina del Superintendente de Instruccin Pblica (Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, OSPI) cre la encuesta en marzo, entre 69 % y 83 % de los distritos respondieron en una semana.Es una de las nicas formas de rendicin de cuentas del gobierno estatal en los distritos escolares de Washington en este momento, pero no hay consecuencias por no responderla.

Dahlia Bazzaz

Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday extended a statewide eviction moratorium, intended to shield renters who have lost income due to the coronavirus pandemic from losing their homes.

The moratorium, which Inslee first issued in March and had extended once, had been scheduled to expire this week. It will now run through Aug. 1.

It prohibits, with limited exceptions, residential evictions and late fees on unpaid rent. It also requires landlords to offer residents a repayment plan, to catch up on unpaid rent.

"It is the intent of this order to prevent a potential new devastating impact of the COVID-19 outbreak," Inslee's proclamation says. "That is, a wave of statewide homelessness that will impact every community in our State."

The new measure also allows rent increases on commercial properties that were agreed upon before Washingtons state of emergency for the virus was first declared Feb. 29.

Read the full story here.

David Gutman and Joseph O'Sullivan

Concerns are mounting about studies in two influential medical journals on drugs used in people with coronavirus, including one that led multiple countries to stop testing a malaria pill.

The New England Journal of Medicine issued an expression of concern Tuesday on a study it published May 1 that suggested widely used blood pressure medicines were not raising the risk of death for people with COVID-19.

The study relied on a database with health records from hundreds of hospitals around the world. Substantive concerns have been raised about the quality of the information, and the journal has asked the authors to provide evidence its reliable, the editors wrote.

The same database by the Chicago company Surgisphere Corp., was used in an observational study of nearly 100,000 patients published in Lancet that tied the malaria drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine to a higher risk of death in hospitalized patients with the virus. Lancet issued a similar expression of concern about its study on Tuesday, saying it was aware important scientific questions had been raised.

Associated Press

New York City contact tracers hired to contain the spread of the coronavirus reached out to all of the roughly 600 people who tested positive for the virus citywide on Monday, the first day of the program, and succeeded in reaching more than half of them, officials said Tuesday.

On Day 1 of the program, seeking to reach several hundred people and have what could be an hour conversation with each of them was a tall order, Dr. Ted Long, the head of the citys contact tracing program, said at a briefing. Long said the fact that the contact tracers actually got through to more than half of the new cases shows that the system were setting up is working.

The city has hired 1,700 people for its contact tracing effort and needs to reach 2,500 in order to meet Gov. Andrew Cuomos target for entering the first phase of the states four-step reopening process. The contact tracers are placing people infected with the virus in hotel rooms if they need to isolate themselves away from their families as well as reaching out to the close contacts of those who test positive for COVID-19.

Associated Press

State health officials confirmed 180 new COVID-19 cases in Washington on Tuesday, as well as five additional deaths.

The update brings the states totals to 22,157 cases and 1,129 deaths, according the state Department of Healths (DOH)data dashboard. The dashboard reports 3,543 hospitalizations in Washington.

So far, 368,799 tests for the novel coronavirus have been conducted in the state, per DOH. Of those, 6% have come back positive.

King County, the state's most populous, has reported 8,177 positive test results and 570 deaths, one of which was confirmed Tuesday, accounting for 50.5% of the state's death toll.

Michelle Baruchman

Indonesias government has decided not to participate in this years hajj pilgrimage to Mecca because of the coronavirus outbreak, an official said Tuesday.

Indonesian Religious Affair Minister Fachrul Razi said Saudi Arabia has not announced it will open the July hajj pilgrimage to other countries, and it is too late to prepare if it does so now. The government will not send the 2020 hajj pilgrimage, Razi said.

Indonesia, the worlds most populous Muslim nation, normally sends the largest contingent to the pilgrimage to Islams holiest cities, Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. It was expected to send 221,000 pilgrims this year.

Razi said pilgrimages held during past disease outbreaks resulted in tragedies in which tens of thousands of people became victims. In 1814 for example, when the Thaun outbreak occurred, also in 1837 and 1858 there was an epidemic outbreak, cholera outbreak in 1892 and during the meningitis outbreak in 1987, he said.

As of Tuesday, the Indonesian government has confirmed 27,549 COVID-19 cases, including 1,663 deaths.

The Associated Press

Parisians returned to the City of Lights beloved sidewalk cafes as lockdown restrictions eased Tuesday, but health experts expressed deep concerns as several Latin American countries opted to reopen their economies despite a rapid rise in coronavirus cases.

The post-lockdown freedom along Paris cobbled streets will be tempered by social distancing rules for the citys once-densely packed cafe tables. Paris City Hall has authorized outside seating areas only, with indoor seating off-limits until June 22. But the tiny tables will have to be spaced at least 1 meter apart, sharply cutting their numbers.

Its amazing that were finally opening up, but the outside area is just a fraction of the inside space, said Xavier Denamur, the owner of five popular cafes and bistros. Its a start.

But as Parisians reclaimed the rhythm of city life, health experts warned that virus cases are still rising in Latin America, the worlds latest COVID-19 epicenter.

Click here to learn more.

Menelaos Hadjicostis and Thibault Camus, The Associated Press

The National Library of Medicines database at the start of June contains over 17,000 published papers about the new coronavirus. A website called bioRxiv, which hosts studies that have yet to go through peer review, contains over 4,000 papers.

In earlier times, few people aside from scientists would have laid eyes on these papers. Months or years after they were written, theyd wind up in printed journals tucked away on a library shelf. But now the world can surf the rising tide of research on the new coronavirus. The vast majority of papers about it can be read for free online.

But just because scientific papers are easier to get hold of doesnt mean that they are easy to make sense of. Reading them can be a challenge for the layperson, even one with some science education.

Here's howyou should read coronavirus studies, or any science paper.

Carl Zimmer, The New York Times

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Coronavirus daily news updates, June 2: What to know today about COVID-19 in the Seattle area, Washington state and the world - Seattle Times

Americans vote in primaries amid Covid-19 and mass protests – The Guardian

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Eight states and Washington DC are holding primaries on Tuesday in the most widespread trial yet over whether America can safely hold an election amid the pandemic and unrest as days of protest over the police killings of African Americans continues.

Election officials, who have been encouraging people to vote by mail, already faced an enormous challenge in providing access to voting while protecting public health against Covid-19. Now, they face an additional challenge of conducting an election that guarantees people can vote without risking their physical safety and without police intimidation as curfews clash with voting hours.

One of the most closely watched states on Tuesday is Pennsylvania, a battleground state, where lawmakers are already seeing an unprecedented flood of requests for mail-in ballots. More than 1.8 million people have requested an absentee ballot so far; during the 2016 primary, just 84,000 people voted by mail.But some voters are still expected to cast a ballot in person, as well.

Pennsylvania law requires voters to return their mail-in ballots to the polls by 8pm on election day. But on Monday evening Pennsylvanias governor, Tom Wolf, a Democrat, extended the deadline for voters in six counties in the state to return their ballots, saying they could be counted if they were received in the next week and postmarked by Tuesday.

That came after concern that some voters in the state might be disenfranchised because officials could not get them ballots in time. In Delaware county, just outside Philadelphia, elections officials said Monday they were mailing 6,000 ballots, the day before the election. The county conceded there were 400 ballots that wont be mailed due to timing and staffing constraints.

In Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, election officials have severely limited in-person voting locations because of the coronavirus pandemic. In Philadelphia, officials are monitoring whether they will have to change any of those few locations because of the recent protests, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. At at least one voting location in Philadelphia, there were long lines on Tuesday morning as poll workers set up voting machines.

Voting rights groups monitoring the elections throughout the country said they were fielding calls from voters reporting problems. In many states, voters reported not receiving mail-in ballot requests in time to vote.

By Tuesday afternoon, about 500 people in Pennsylvania had called in to an election protection hotline run by the groups, about half of the voters were seeking information about their polling location, Suzanne Almeida, the interim executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania, a watchdog group, told reporters.

In Baltimore, which is holding a Democratic mayoral primary, some voters reported never receiving the ballots they requested, forcing them to go to the polls on election day.

It is unclear how the increased police presence from the protests will mesh with established polling place hours. In Washington DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a 7pm curfew for Tuesday, but polls will be open until 8pm. As the curfew approached, there were still people in line who expected to wait for more than an hour. Bowser said Tuesday no one who was voting would be subject to the curfew.

But there was confusion in the city as the day went on.

Sherene Joseph was in line to vote at Hardy Middle School in the Georgetown neighborhood of DC just before curfew when a police car drove by twice used a loudspeaker to tell everyone they needed to go home. The announcement set off confusion, she said, and elections staff came out to talk to police and encouraged everyone to stay in line and a volunteer gave out I voted stickers for voters to show police.

It didnt happen again and the folks working there made it clear everyone in line that they would be able to vote, she wrote in an email.

Some voters in DC said they never received their ballots and there were still long lines across the city on Tuesday. Only 10 people at a time were allowed into voting locations to allow for social distancing, according to The Washington Post. One voter told the Washington Post he had been told he sent his application to the wrong email address, even though he sent it to the one he was instructed to. Another woman said she couldnt get help requesting a ballot online so she wouldnt vote.

In Philadelphia, there will be an 8.30pm curfew and polls will be open until 8pm. Larry Krasner, the Philadelphia district attorney, said on Monday no one will be arrested for going to vote in violation of the curfew.

But Almeida said there hasnt been clear guidance on protections for people who were still waiting to vote and poll workers who remained at voting sites beyond the curfew time.

She also noted Center City in Philadelphia had been shut down to traffic and was being heavily patrolled, which was obviously a detriment to voters trying to cast a ballot there. The Pennsylvania Convention Center, located in the area, is hosting voting for 18 districts on Tuesday.

Imposing a 6pm curfew on election day threatens to disenfranchise the very people marching to be heard, along with all Philadelphians, said Quentin Palfrey, chair of Voter Protection Corps, a voting advocacy group. We applaud district attorney Krasners clear statement that no voter will be arrested or prosecuted for going to vote, but no such assurances can overcome the suppressive impact of the curfew.

She also noted that one of the voting sites in Wilkinsburg, a borough that is majority African American just outside of Pittsburgh, was in a government building that shared space with the police. It meant that voters would have to wait in line with law enforcement nearby, which could be intimidating.

In addition to Washington DC and Pennsylvania, Tuesday is primary day in Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, Rhode Island and South Dakota.

Read more from the original source:

Americans vote in primaries amid Covid-19 and mass protests - The Guardian