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Alexandria man accused of raping 14-year-old girl at gunpoint is arrested

Marc A. Jones Jr. faces charges of criminal confinement while armed with a deadly weapon, rape, sexual misconduct with a minor and pointing a firearm.

       




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Whale that washed ashore in Ventura County towed out to sea

The animal's cause of death was inconclusive because a full examination was hampered by stay-at-home and social distancing orders issued amid the coronavirus pandemic.




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Oversight panel to subpoena Sheriff Alex Villanueva for testimony on coronavirus in jails

The Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission voted Thursday to subpoena L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva for testimony regarding the coronavirus outbreak in the jails.




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Study finds most Montrealers not on board with sending kids back to school

Most Montrealers are not on board with sending children back to school May 18 according to a new survey from the Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA) and the Association for Canadians Studies (ACS).




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Palestinians working in Israel face coronavirus dilemma

Many are returning to jobs in Israel and its settlements, where there has been a large outbreak.




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Regions and territories: New Caledonia

An overview of the Pacific territory, including key facts, political leaders and notes on the media




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Valentine’s Dazzle on a budget

College students can take a break and spice up their lives without breaking their wallet...




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Profile: Wales

Key facts, figures and notes on the media




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US Surgeon General Jerome Adams shows his inhaler

Jerome Adams took his inhaler out while discussing the impact of Covid-19 on black people.




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Hubble telescope's Universe revealed in 3D

New techniques are being used to transform images from Hubble into spectacular 3D visualisations.




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London's first female police inspector retires amidst COVID-19

It wasn’t the typical retirement ceremony at the headquarters of the London Police Service on Dundas Street Friday.




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This Tesla owner wanted to control her Model 3. So she implanted a valet key in her arm.

A Texas woman wanted to control her Tesla Model 3. So she implanted part of the vehicle's valet key in her arm.




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Fantasy Football start/sit tips for Week 5: Start Redskins QB Alex Smith against the Saints

Smith has lived up to expectations in 2018, completing 66 of 96 passes (career-high 69 percent) for 767 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.




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Alex Ovechkin is putting Wayne Gretzky’s untouchable goal-scoring record within reach

If the Great Eight tops the 50-goal mark in 2018-19 he becomes only the fourth player in NHL history to have at least two such campaigns after the age of 30. While Gretzky's goal scoring started to slow in his 30s, Ovechkin is still going strong.




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Pete Buttigieg plays the didgeridoo and other unexpected musical talents of the 2020 candidates

You know about Beto O'Rourke on the guitar, of course, but what about Bernie Sanders's spoken-word album?




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The Digital Development Group is Seeing Tremendous Growth in Holiday Sales for Internet TV Devices

The Digital Development Group foresees dynamic growth in its industry. “On Nov. 21st we launched our first channel. We are excited to announce 5 more channels coming before year-end. On the heels of those developments we believe it is important to continue to define our mission.”

DigiDev is targeting the revolutionary “OTT” technology arena. “OTT” or Over The Top devices piggyback on existing network services in consumers’ homes or offices; pull content from the Internet and deliver it to their TV or Internet enabled device. DigiDev uses OTT technology to deliver programming to billions of desktops, mobile and smart/Internet enabled TV devices around the world.

“The market for digital distribution to 'smart' (Internet enabled) devices (smart-TV, tablet, smart-phones) continues to grow at an astonishing rate,” states Martin W. Greenwald, Chairman and CEO of DigiDev. “AppleTV, GoogleTV, and Roku sales this Holiday season are running considerably ahead of last year’s tally.”




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Alex Acosta gave a pass to Epstein years ago. He’s still at it as labor secretary.

His department has ignored visas for trafficking victims.




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Trump’s Treasury secretary just admitted the tariff rationale is hogwash

Maybe it was the altitude at Davos.




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The covid-19 pandemic has revealed another area of critical government underinvestment

Archaic computer technology is hampering the effort to combat the effects of covid-19 in the United States.




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Direct sales of ebooks in multiple languages

O’Reilly has long been a leader in fostering community and building a direct sales channel. This week we took the next step in enhancing the customer’s direct buying experience by offering German editions for many of our ebook titles. Take …




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strataconf: Read our initial findings of @amplab's open source benchmark for tracking large-scale Query Engines http://t.co/rGgOVeTHQ8 #strataconf

strataconf: Read our initial findings of @amplab's open source benchmark for tracking large-scale Query Engines http://t.co/rGgOVeTHQ8 #strataconf




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News24.com | Don't let Malema divert attention from where it's needed most




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How Each Home Sale Adds to the Economy

NAR calculated the total economic impact that real estate–related industries can have on state economies. See how your state fares in this interactive map.




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AT#38 - Swimming with Whales off Tonga

Swimming with Whales off Tonga




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AT#137 - Travel to Valencia, Spain

Valencia, Spain




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AT#192 - Travel to Jerusalem

The Amateur Traveler talks again to Douglas Duckett the author of a popular free travel guide to Israel. This time we talked to Douglass about traveling to the holy city, Jerusalem. We step back and look at Jerusalem through the eyes of the three major faiths for which it is a significant location: Christianity, Islam and Judaism. We look at significant sites for all three religions such as the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Al-Aqsa Mosque mosque, the Dome of the Rock and the Western Wall. We talk about surprises that are continually being uncovered in Jerusalem like Hezikaih’s tunnel, Robinson’s Arch and Burnt House. And in the process we talk about the practical considerations for visiting this amazing city.




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AT#225 - Travel to Wales

The Amateur Traveler talks to John Clayton about a recent trip to Wales. John was the host of a radio travel show called “Travel with a Difference” for 16 years in the Los Angeles area and was invited to Wales by the Wales Tourism board. John is a train buff and was invited to ride on the restored narrow guage railroads of Wales which were built originally to carry slate from the Wales slate mines. He road the Mount Snowdon, West Highlands and Ffestiniog railways. John also recommends touring the slate mine at Llanberis. We also visit Port Meirion which will look familiar to fans of the TV show The Prisoner. Also find out what Bed and Breakfast you can stay at where some of the Royals used to live.




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AT#256 - Travel to the West Bank / Palestinian National Authority

The Amateur Traveler talks to Matthew Long from LandLopers.com about his trip to the West Bank or the Palestinian Authority. Mathew did day trips into this emerging state from Jerusalem and tells us about visiting Jericho and Bethlehem, the city of David. The Dead Sea was a well known highlight while Hisham’s Palace proved to be an unexpected highlight. The area boasts monuments dating back to the Jewish patriarch’s such as Rachel’s Tomb, where childless woman come to pray, and the ruins of the community of Qumran, where the dead sea scrolls were found. Do you know what you should skip doing the morning before you go to the Dead Sea? Matthew will tell you.




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AT#315 - Cruise Barge Canals in England and Wales

The Amateur Traveler  talks to Richard Graw about his experiences cruising the canals of England in a canal boat (or narrow boat). The canals traverse through tunnels, up staircases of locks and even up over aqueducts.




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AT#558 - UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Israel and Palestine

Hear about travel to Israel and Palestine, and particularly the world heritage sites of that region, as the Amateur Traveler talks to Gary Arndt from everything-everywhere.com about his recent visit.
Gary just finished up a trip to Israel and Palestine.




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AT#588 - Travel to New Caledonia

Hear about travel to New Caledonia as the Amateur Traveler talks to CJ Johnson from the MOVIELAND ABC Radio Show and Podcast about his recent trip to this part of France in the South Pacific.




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AT#619 - Travel to Valencia, Spain

Hear about travel to Valencia, Spain as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jason Jenkins from AnEpicEducation.com about the 2 years his family lived in Spain's 3rd largest city.




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‘The Voice’ Contestant Alexa Cappelli Treats Neighbors to Weekly Performance in Her Cul-de-Sac

It’s not good for people to be alone. Quarantining has been difficult for many people who have gotten used to socializing daily, and because of that, some have found ways to follow the rules but feel a little less isolated. Some neighborhoods have decided to be social while maintaining the suggested distance apart, whether that’s…

The post ‘The Voice’ Contestant Alexa Cappelli Treats Neighbors to Weekly Performance in Her Cul-de-Sac appeared first on The Western Journal.




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This solar oven can cook using the power of the sun, and it's on sale

TL;DR: Have a hot meal wherever you go with the Go portable solar oven for $119, a 14% savings as of May 9.


As we look toward upcoming summer festivities, our calendars are looking pretty bleak. Nearly every event has been postponed. Festival season was straight-up canceled. And gatherings in public places are basically extinct. With fewer options on the table, you're probably going to be spending a lot of time enjoying the great outdoors in small groups or on your own as the weather warms up. By then, you'll be sick of staying home, so it's a good thing nature isn't canceled.

As you head outside for your camping, hiking, biking, and beach excursions, you'll probably need a way to cook your own food, especially if restaurants are still closed or operating on abbreviated hours. We've got just thing, and it's on sale: the Go Portable Solar Oven. All you need is a little bit of sun and this lightweight grill can cook just about anything. Read more...

More about Cooking, Camping, Mashable Shopping, Tech, and Consumer Tech




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Snag this super portable e-skateboard on sale for 75% off

TL;DR: Skate just about anywhere you please with the lightweight Ubran E-Skateboard for $124.95, a 75% savings as of May 9.


When in doubt, skate it out. But not everyone is cut from the same cloth as Tony Hawk, and it won't make sense to try and skateboard if you know you're just going to fall flat on your butt. 

Luckily, the universe is on the side of frustrated skaters everywhere with the emergence of devices like the Urban E-Skateboard. Not only does it take all the guesswork out of skating, but it's eco-friendly, too. And for a limited time, you can get it on sale for $124.95.

At only 7 pounds and 17 inches, the Urban E-Skateboard makes it easy for you to transport it anywhere you go. When you're not, you know, skating, you can easily stuff it in your bag for fuss-free storage. It connects with a wireless remote that allows you to control your speed and choose between three speed modes, accommodating just about every rider's experience level. Read more...

More about Mashable Shopping, Tech, Sports, and Consumer Tech




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Sport24.co.za | Hales eyeing England return

Former England opener Alex Hales is confident he has matured as a player and believes he is ready to make a return to international cricket.




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Sport24.co.za | TOUR TALES | When Polly's boys went 'zero to hero' Down Under

Including a shoulder-brush with a livid Steve Waugh, Rob Houwing remembers witnessing SA's heroic finish to an otherwise stormy 2001/02 Australian tour.





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Every Home Sale Adds More than $88,000 to the Economy. How Do Home Sales Affect the Economy in Your State?

How Do Home Sales Affect the Economy in Your State?

Real estate is the foundation of wealth building for the middle class and a critical link in the flow of goods, services, and income for Americans.





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Article: For Ad Buyers, a Tale of Two Identity Graphs Emerges in 2018

Patrick Jones, global vice president and general manager of partnerships for Oracle Data Cloud, discusses how he expects agencies and brands to evolve their use of audience data sets this year.




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Newsroom: US Direct-to-Consumer Ecommerce Sales Will Rise to Nearly $18 Billion in 2020

Despite strong growth, D2C companies are facing more headwinds   April 2, 2020 (New York, NY) — For the first time, we are breaking out direct-to-consumer (D2C) ecommerce sales. We define […]




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Human remains found in Mulmur Township confirmed to be missing Caledon senior

Human remains located in Mulmur Township in March have been confirmed to be those of an 88-year-old Caledon man who was reported missing seven months ago.




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President Trump’s Navy Valet Tests Positive for Coronavirus

The following article, President Trump’s Navy Valet Tests Positive for Coronavirus, was first published on 100PercentFedUp.com.

One of President Trump’s personal Navy valets has tested positive for coronavirus. The valet, a member of the US Navy who works at the White House, had symptoms of the coronavirus Wednesday morning. He was tested, and his test came back positive for the virus. President Trump was reportedly informed about the situation and fake […]

Continue reading: President Trump’s Navy Valet Tests Positive for Coronavirus ...




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Webinar: Assessing the Twists and Turns in the US-Iran Stalemate

Research Event

28 April 2020 - 2:00pm to 3:30pm

Event participants

Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, Founder and Publisher, Bourse & Bazaar
Nasser Hadian, Professor of Political Sciences, Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, University of Tehran
Azadeh Zamirirad, Deputy Head, Middle East and Africa Division, SWP Berlin
Ariane Tabatabai, Middle East Fellow, Alliance for Securing Democracy, US German Marshall Fund; Adjunct Senior Research Scholar, SIPA
Moderator: Sanam Vakil, Deputy Head and Senior Research Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House
The webinar will be livestreamed on the MENA Programme Facebook page.

Since the start of 2020, Iran has been beset with multiple challenges including the spread of COVID-19, economic pressure from US sanctions, parliamentary elections in February, the killing of Qassem Soleimani and an increase in tensions in Iraq. The Trump administration interprets these domestic and regional challenges faces by Iran as evidence that its maximum pressure campaign is proving to be effective.

In this webinar, speakers will examine the economic and political impact of the Trump administration's policy towards Iran. Panelists will consider how these events are impacting internal dynamics in Iran and examine the economic impact of sanctions. They will also evaluate European diplomatic efforts to preserve the Iran nuclear agreement, and consider the future trajectory of US Iran policy and the potential for escalation in the region.
 
This webinar is part of the Chatham House Middle East and North Africa Programme's Online Event Series. The event will be held on the record.

Reni Zhelyazkova

Programme Coordinator, Middle East and North Africa Programme
+44 (0)20 7314 3624




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Implementing the NATO Wales Summit: From Strategy to Action

Invitation Only Research Event

26 February 2015 - 1:00pm to 27 February 2015 - 5:00pm

German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Berlin, Germany

Event participants

Xenia Wickett, Project Director, US; Dean, The Queen Elizabeth II Academy for Leadership in International Affairs, Chatham House
Dr Christian Moelling, International Security Division Associate, SWP-Berlin

The NATO Summit, held in September 2014 in Newport, Wales, was a waypoint in the larger strategic vision for NATO over the coming decade. As the alliance continues to confront challenges on its eastern and southern frontiers, it must find ways to adapt its strategy for more effective responses, while also staying ahead of emerging threats and risks. 

The event will bring together senior representatives from a number of the NATO member states, NATO partners and external experts from industry, the media and the think-tank and academic communities, to examine what NATO member states have done thus far to move the deliverables forward, and how to most effectively work together in continuing to do so. 

Attendance at this event is by invitation only.

This is the second of two workshops held in collaboration with SWP-Berlin; the first took place at Chatham House in October 2014.

Event attributes

External event




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The NHS Is Not for Sale – But a US–UK Trade Deal Could Still Have an Impact

29 November 2019

Dr Charles Clift

Senior Consulting Fellow, Global Health Programme
Charles Clift examines what recently leaked documents mean – and do not mean – for healthcare in transatlantic trade negotiations.

2019-11-29-NHS.jpg

Kings College Hospital in London. Photo: Getty Images.

The leaked record of the five meetings of the UK–US Trade & Investment Working Group held in 2017–18 has led to a controversy in the UK election campaign around the claim that ‘the NHS is up for sale’.

But a careful reading of the leaked documents reveals how remarkably little concerns the NHS – in five meetings over 16 months, the NHS is mentioned just four times. The patent regime and how it affects medicines is discussed in more depth but largely in terms of the participants trying to understand each other’s systems and perspectives. For the most part, the discussions were overwhelmingly about everything else a trade deal would cover other than healthcare – matters such as subsidies, rules of origin and customs facilitation.

But this does not mean there will be no impact on Britain’s health service. There are three main concerns about the possible implications of a US–UK trade deal after Brexit – a negotiation that will of course only take place if the UK remains outside the EU customs union and single market and also does not reach a trade agreement with the EU that proves incompatible with US negotiating objectives.

One concern is that the US aim of securing ‘full market access for US products’, expressed in the US negotiating objectives, will affect the ability of NICE (The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) to prevent the NHS from procuring products that are deemed too expensive in relation to their benefits. It could also affect the ability of the NHS to negotiate with companies to secure price reductions as, for instance, happened recently with Orkambi, a cystic fibrosis drug.

A peculiarity of the main US government healthcare programme (Medicare) is that it has historically not negotiated drug prices, although there are several bills now before Congress aiming to change that. US refusal to negotiate or control prices is one reason that US drug prices are the highest in the world.  

A second concern is that the US objective of securing ‘intellectual property rights that reflect a standard of protection similar to that found in US law’ will result in longer patent terms and other forms of exclusivity that will increase the prices the NHS will have to pay for drugs.

However, it is not immediately apparent that UK standards are significantly different from those in the US – the institutional arrangements differ but the levels of protection offered are broadly comparable. Recent publicity about a potential extra NHS medicine bill of £27 billion resulting from a trade deal is based on the NHS having to pay US prices on all drugs – which seems an unlikely outcome unless the UK contingent are extraordinarily bad negotiators.

Nevertheless, in an analysis section (marked for internal distribution only), the UK lead negotiator noted: ‘The impact of some patent issues raised on NHS access to generic drugs (i.e. cheaper drugs) will be a key consideration going forward.’

A third concern is that the US objective of providing ‘fair and open conditions for services trade’ and other US negotiating objectives will oblige the UK to open up the NHS to American healthcare companies.

This is where it gets complicated. At one point in a discussion on state-owned enterprises (SOEs) the US asked if the UK had concerns about their ‘health insurance system’ (presumably a reference to the NHS). The UK response was that it ‘wouldn’t want to discuss particular health care entities at this time, you’ll be aware of certain statements saying we need to protect our needs; this would be something to discuss further down the line…’

On this exchange the UK lead negotiator commented:  ‘We do not currently believe the US has a major offensive interest in this space – not through the SOE chapter at least. Our response dealt with this for now, but we will need to be able to go into more detail about the functioning of the NHS and our views on whether or not it is engaged in commercial activities…’

On the face of it, these documents provide no basis for saying the NHS would be for sale – whatever that means exactly. The talks were simply an exploratory investigation between officials on both sides in advance of possible negotiations.

But it is a fact that US positions in free trade agreements are heavily influenced by corporate interests. Their participation in framing agreements is institutionalized in the US system and the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries in the US spend, by a large margin, more on lobbying the government than any other sector does. Moreover, President Donald Trump has long complained about ‘the global freeloading that forces American consumers to subsidize lower prices in foreign countries through higher prices in our country’.

It is when (and if) the actual negotiations on a trade deal get under way that the real test will come as the political profile and temperature is raised on both sides of the Atlantic.




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Distinct and Overlapping Sets of SUMO-1 and SUMO-2 Target Proteins Revealed by Quantitative Proteomics

Alfred C. O. Vertegaal
Dec 1, 2006; 5:2298-2310
Research




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Large Scale Screening for Novel Rab Effectors Reveals Unexpected Broad Rab Binding Specificity

Mitsunori Fukuda
Jun 1, 2008; 7:1031-1042
Research




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Ana Alecsandru

Research Assistant, International Security Programme

Biography

Ana Alecsandru is a research assistant for the International Security programme, covering projects related to nuclear weapons policy and emerging technologies. She is also a PhD candidate at the University of Birmingham (awaiting Viva examination).

Her doctoral research examined the relationship between trust and verification in nuclear arms control negotiations between the United States and Russia.

Prior to joining Chatham House, she worked at the University of Birmingham on various projects concerning nuclear weapons policy while doing her PhD.

Ana completed an internship in the Arms Control, Disarmament, and WMD Non-Proliferation Centre at NATO HQ in Brussels in 2014. She was also a research intern at the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) in New York in 2016.

During her doctoral studies, she received full grants to participate in the 2017 IGCC’s Public Policy and Nuclear Threats Boot Camp hosted at UC San Diego and the 2017 Nuclear Safeguards and Non-Proliferation Training Course hosted by the European Commission’s Research Centre in Ispra.

Ana holds an MA in Security Studies and an MA in Research Methods from the University of Birmingham. She completed her BSc (hons) in International Relations at the University of Bath. For her doctoral research, she was awarded a studentship by the UK Economic and Social Research Council. 

Areas of expertise

  • Nuclear weapons policy
  • Nuclear arms control and strategic stability
  • Emerging military technologies
  • Emotions in strategic decision-making