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What Traveling Internationally Is Like in the Age of Coronavirus

I've traveled a lot over the years, saving up all the dollars and vacation days I can manage to embark on solo adventures around the globe. Whether I've ended up road-tripping...




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Queensland mum, 41, wins second national kickboxing title

Eight years ago Simone Offord took up kickboxing for mental health and exercise. Now the mother of three has claimed her second Australian title.




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By delaying Tokyo Games, the International Olympic Committee finally admits it's not the main game in town

It was welcomed by athletes around the world, but the decision to postpone the Tokyo Olympics until 2021 was easy in comparison to what comes next, writes Tracey Holmes.




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America is hurting. And it needs its national pastime more than ever

Americans should have been marking a milestone at the weekend — both in sport and the civil rights movement. Instead, a grieving nation has been forced to go without.




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More NRL players refuse flu vaccination, Raiders seek exemption

The restart of the NRL could be jeopardised as Raiders forwards Sia Soliola, Joe Tapine and Josh Papalli join Titans forward Bryce Cartwright in refusing to sign an unedited version of the vaccination waiver.




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She won over a nation on 'Great British Bake Off.' Now she has her own Netflix show

Nadiya Hussain, winner of "The Great British Baking Show," embraces canned food in her new Netflix series, "Nadiya's Time to Eat."




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'We're vulnerable': On the Navajo Nation, a rush to curb the coronavirus

A desperate attempt to halt coronavirus cases is underway on the country's largest reservation, which spans Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.




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International star Irrfan Khan has died at the age of 53

Stars from around the world have been paying tribute to actor Irrfan Khan who has died at the age of 53.




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Coronation Street star Jack P Shepherd explains his first-day blunder

The Corrie star got a telling off for his gaffe




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David Walliams' £10k donation to Britain's Got Talent golden buzzer act

The star gave his support to five-year-old Christian Kilduff, who is raising money for the NHS




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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences




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Union health minister directs all states to ensure uninterrupted voluntary blood donation




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A Multinational Effort to Reduce Neonatal Mortality: Interview with Dr. Maria Oden, Co-director of Rice 360° Institute for Global Health

According to the World Health Organization, 47% of childhood deaths worldwide occur in the first four weeks of life. This neonatal mortality rate is particularly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, where nearly one million newborns die every year. Many of these deaths can be prevented with medical devices that more developed countries often take for granted, […]




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Translational Research Forum at BIO International Convention

BIO is hosting a Translation Research Forum at the BIO International Convention.  NIH Director Collins keynotes an event that will explore how private, public and academic sectors can leverage meaningful partnerships, highlight emerging best practices, explore risk-sharing at the clinical research stage, and explore ways to bridge the gap in funding and know-how necessary to take […]




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House Health Leaders Oppose Rule to Roll Back ACA Nondiscrimination Protections

Today, Chairs of the House Committees that oversee the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) voiced their strong opposition to a harmful Trump Administration rule that would roll back Affordable Care Act (ACA) nondiscrimination protections. In a letter, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA), House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA), and House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) urged HHS Secretary Alex Azar not to finalize this troubling rule and to instead focus on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. The rule would overturn core protections for marginalized communities including LGBTQ+ people, women, individuals with limited English proficiency, and individuals with disabilities, and eliminate many health care programs and activities from coverage of the Affordable Care Act’s nondiscrimination requirements. “At a time when the United States is grappling with the 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and access to health care services is so critical, we are disappointed that this Administration is once again taking steps to limit access to health care and embolden discrimination against some of the most vulnerable among us,” the Chairs wrote. “If finalized, this dangerous rule would open the door to discrimination against patients in express contradiction to the plain language and intent of the law, and would therefore be illegal. Undermining protections for marginalized individuals at any time is unacceptable, but it is particularly egregious to do so during the worst global pandemic in over a century.” Read the full letter to Secretary Azar HERE. ###




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2020 National Xconomy Awards Finalists Will Be Announced on June 22

Xconomy is excited to announce we’ve had an overwhelming amount of interest in the inaugural National Xconomy Awards. The hundreds of outstanding nominations highlight the groundbreaking, inspiring companies and individuals we look to honor. Stay tuned for when we reveal the finalists on Monday, June 22. Due to COVID-19 we have postponed the planned June […]




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Foreign National Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Smuggling East Africans to the United States

A Ghanian man was sentenced today in the District of Columbia for his role in smuggling East Africans into the United States. Mohammed Kamel Ibrahim, a/k/a Hakim, 27, a native of Ghana and naturalized citizen of Mexico, was sentenced to five years in prison by U.S. District Judge Ricardo M. Urbina after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy and three counts of bringing aliens to the United States for profit.



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Justice Department Settles Allegations of Disability and Religious Discrimination Against Nashville, Tenn.

The Department today announced a settlement resolving allegations that the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County (Metropolitan Government) violated the Fair Housing Act (FHA) and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) by discriminating against Teen Challenge, a Christian substance abuse treatment program.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit on Behalf of North Dakota Army National Guard Member

The Department today filed a lawsuit on behalf of Suzanne L. Halverson, an Army National Guard member, against Grand Forks County, N.D., alleging violations of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA), which prohibits employers from discriminating against service-members because of their past, current or future military service obligations.



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Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Alleging Gender Discrimination and Retaliation by the Puerto Rico Police Department

The Department today announced that it has reached a consent decree with the Policía de Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico Police Department or PRPD) that will, if approved by the federal district court, resolve a complaint the Department filed in March 2008 alleging that the PRPD engaged in unlawful employment discrimination based on gender and retaliation, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Title VII prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin and religion, and also prohibits retaliation against persons for filing charges of discrimination.



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Justice Department Settles Lawsuit on Behalf of New Jersey Air Force National Guard Member

The Department announced today the settlement of a lawsuit filed on behalf of Anthony D. Jackson, an Air Force National Guard member, against Union County College (UCC) under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA).



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Justice Department Settles Religious Discrimination Lawsuit Against Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

The Department announced today that it has entered into a settlement agreement with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) that, if approved by the court, will resolve the complaint of pattern or practice religious discrimination filed by the United States against WMATA under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.



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California Man Sentenced to 18 Months in Community Correctional Facility in Connection with Scheme to Defraud First International Bank and Export-Import Bank

Carlos Serrano, 64, of Glendale, Calif., was sentenced to 18 months in a community correctional facility in connection with a $1.3 million scheme to defraud the First International Bank of Connecticut (FIB) and the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank). In addition to his prison sentence, Serrano was placed on five years of probation and ordered to pay restitution of $924,569 to the Ex-Im Bank.



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Five Defendants Convicted of International Sex Trafficking for Forcing Central American Girls and Women into Prostitution

Five defendants, all members or associates of an extended family, face potential life sentences after being found guilty of sex trafficking for participating in a scheme that lured young Central American women and girls into the Los Angeles area and forced them into prostitution. The defendants, four Guatemalan nationals and one Mexican citizen, were convicted on Feb. 11, 2009, of conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and importation of aliens for purposes of prostitution.



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German National Arrested for Smuggling Coral from the Philippines

Gunther Wenzek, a German national, was arraigned today in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., on a nine count indictment charging him with three felony counts of smuggling protected coral into the United States port of Portland, Ore., three felony counts of violating the Lacey Act and three misdemeanor charges of violating the Endangered Species Act.



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Justice Department Obtains $120,000 Settlement in Discrimination Lawsuit Against Chicago Area Realtors

RE/MAX East-West, a real estate firm in Elmhurst, Ill., and one of its former real estate agents, John DeJohn, have agreed to pay $120,000 to settle allegations that they illegally steered prospective homebuyers toward and away from certain neighborhoods based on race and national origin. The consent decree was signed on Feb. 17, 2009, by U.S. District Judge Ruben Castillo.



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Statement from Matthew A. Miller, Director of the Office of Public Affairs, Regarding Issuance of the National Research Council’s Report on Forensic Science

We appreciate the diligent work of the National Research Council’s committee on forensic science in preparing this report. The Department of Justice’s principal focus in dealing with forensic evidence is on applying it dispassionately to law enforcement challenges, and we regularly use forensics to not only convict the guilty, but also to exonerate the innocent.



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Department of Justice Statement on the Abandonment of the JBS/National Beef Transaction

The Department issued a statement today after JBS and National Beef announced the abandonment of the JBS/National Beef transaction, which the Department had filed suit to block in October.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against the Chicago Board of Education for Alleged Pregnancy Discrimination

The Department of Justice today filed a lawsuit against the Board of Education of the City of Chicago (Board), alleging pregnancy discrimination in employment against former elementary school teacher Traci Meziere.



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Justice Department Sues Housing Authority in Wayne County, Ill., for Race Discrimination

The Department today filed a lawsuit against the Wayne County Housing Authority (WCHA), in Fairfield, Ill., as well as Jill Masterson and Danna Sutton, WCHA’s executive director and assistant director, respectively, alleging that they violated the Fair Housing Act when they tried to discourage a white couple from renting their property in Fairfield to an African-American woman.



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Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Alleging Military Discrimination Against the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts and Senior Resident Court Judge

The Department announced today that it has reached a settlement that, if approved by the court, will resolve a lawsuit filed by the Department against the Administrative Office of the Courts of the State of North Carolina and the Honorable Jerry Braswell, Senior Resident Superior Court Judge for North Carolina Judicial District 8-B, in his official capacity.



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Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Against the City of Dayton, Ohio, Alleging Discrimination Against African Americans in the Hiring of Police Officers and Firefighters

The Department announced today that it has entered into a consent decree with the city of Dayton that, if approved by the court, will resolve the Department’s complaint that Dayton has been engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination against African-Americans in its hiring of entry-level police officers and firefighters, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII).



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Miami Man Found Guilty in $13.5 Million International Money Laundering Scheme

Rodrigo Molina, 33, a Brazilian national who resided in Miami, was found guilty by a federal jury on 11 of 16 charged counts related to a $13.5 million money laundering conspiracy. Molina was found guilty on Feb. 25, 2009, following a seven-day jury trial in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Wagner Industrial Electric Inc., to Enforce the Employment Rights of Indiana Army National Guardsman

The Department announced today that it has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Kevin Stenger, an Indiana National Guard member, against Wagner Industrial Electric Inc. (Wagner), alleging violations of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA). USERRA was enacted in 1994 to protect service members from being disadvantaged in their civilian careers due to serving in the uniformed services.



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International Criminal Figure Pleads Guilty to $138 Million Fuel Tax Scheme After Nearly 13 Years as a Fugitive

After nearly 13 years as a fugitive, a former New Jersey resident has been returned to the United States, and pleaded guilty today to conspiring to committing one of the nation’s largest known motor fuel excise tax schemes. Aaron Misulovin a/k/a Albert Friedman, a/k/a Valery Vibornov, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joseph E. Irenas in Camden, N.J., to one count of conspiracy, three counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering and three counts of tax evasion.



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Justice Department Sues Large Multi-Family Housing Developer Alleging Disability-Based Housing Discrimination

The Department filed a lawsuit today against JPI Construction L.P. (JPI) and six JPI-affiliated companies in U.S. District Court in Dallas for failing to provide accessible features required by the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act at multi-family housing developments in Texas and other states.



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Five Defendants Sentenced for Participation in International Child Exploitation Enterprise

Five U.S. defendants convicted for their activity in a global child pornography trafficking enterprise were sentenced today in the Northern District of Florida. The defendants had pled to multiple charges, including engaging in a child exploitation enterprise; conspiracy to advertise, transport, ship, receive and possess child pornography; advertising child pornography; transporting child pornography; and receiving child pornography.



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U.S. Department of Justice Promotes International Network to Combat Intellectual Property Crime

Building upon the successes of earlier efforts, the Department today announced the opening in Bangkok of a regional conference of approximately 100 key law enforcement and industry officials from more than a dozen nations with the goal of strengthening international cooperation in fighting large-scale intellectual property crimes.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Americraft Carton Inc., to Enforce the Employment Rights of Michigan Army National Guardsman

The Department today filed a lawsuit on behalf of David D. Sweatt, a Michigan Army National Guard member currently serving in Iraq, against Americraft Carton Inc. (Americraft), alleging violations of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA).



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Indianapolis Law Firm to Enforce the Employment Rights of Indiana Army National Guardsman

The Department today filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis on behalf of Mathew B. Jeffries, an Indiana National Guard member, against the Indianapolis law firm of Mike Norris & Associates, alleging that the law firm refused to promptly reemploy Jeffries in violation of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA).



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Iranian Man and His Company Charged in International Scheme to Supply Iran with Sensitive U.S. Technology

An Iranian citizen and his Tehran business have been charged with purchasing helicopter engines and advanced aerial cameras for fighter bombers from U.S. firms and illegally exporting them to Iran using companies in Malaysia, Ireland and the Netherlands. Among the alleged recipients of these U.S. goods was an Iranian military firm that has since been designated by the United States for being owned or controlled by entities involved in Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile program.



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Justice Department Settles Allegations of Disability Discrimination Against Town of St. John, Indiana

The Department today announced a settlement resolving allegations that the town of St. John, Ind., violated the Fair Housing Act when it denied a petition for a zoning variance based on the disability of a prospective resident.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Symphony Diagnostic Services Inc., to Enforce the Employment Rights of N.Y. Army National Guardsman

The Department today filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia on behalf of Frantz Julien, a New York Army National Guard member, against the Symphony Diagnostic Services Inc., doing business as MobilexUSA (Mobilex), alleging violations of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA).



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Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Against the City of Portsmouth, Virginia, Alleging Discrimination Against African Americans in the Hiring of Firefighters

The Department has entered into a consent decree with the City of Portsmouth, Va., that, if approved by the court, will resolve the Department’s complaint that the City of Portsmouth engaged in a pattern or practice of employment discrimination against African Americans in its hiring of entry-level firefighters, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII).



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Justice Department Announces Public Education Campaign Grants to Fight Immigration-Related Employment Discrimination

The Department is making grant funding available for public education programs concerning immigration-related employment discrimination. The Office of Special Counsel for Immigration Related Unfair Employment Practices (OSC), a section of the Department’s Civil Rights Division, announced the availability of funds for public education programs regarding employees’ rights and employers’ obligations under the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).



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Former National Century Financial Enterprises CEO Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison, Co-Owner Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Conspiracy, Fraud and Money Laundering

Two former National Century Financial Enterprises (NCFE) executives were sentenced today for their roles in a scheme to deceive investors about the financial health of NCFE. NCFE, formerly based in Dublin, Ohio, was one of the largest healthcare finance companies in the United States until it filed for bankruptcy in November 2002.



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Partner at Major International Accounting Firm Charged with Tax Crimes

A Newark, N.J., federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Stephen A. Favato, a resident of Point Pleasant Beach, N.J., and a partner at a major international accounting firm, with tax charges for attempting to assist one of his clients evade income taxes. Favato, a partner in the accounting firm’s Woodbridge, N.J., office, was charged with tax evasion regarding the federal income taxes of Daniel Funsch and his spouse.



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Three International Airline Companies Agree to Plead Guilty to Price Fixing on Air Cargo Shipments

Three international airline companies—Luxembourg-based Cargolux Airlines International S.A., Japan-based Nippon Cargo Airlines Co. Ltd. (NCA), and Korea-based Asiana Airlines Inc.—have each agreed to plead guilty and pay criminal fines totaling $214 million for conspiring to fix prices in the air cargo industry. In addition, Asiana was charged with fixing the passenger fares charged on flights from the United States to Korea.



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Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Against the City of Ecorse, Michigan, Alleging Sex Discrimination

The Department has entered into a consent decree with the City of Ecorse, Mich., that, if approved by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Mich., will resolve the Department’s complaint against Ecorse filed in July 2008.



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Justice Department Resolves Lawsuit Alleging Disability-Based Housing Discrimination at 12 Multifamily Housing Complexes in Louisville, Kentucky

The Department announced that a federal district court judge in Louisville, Ky., approved a settlement of the Department’s lawsuit alleging that those involved in the design and construction of 12 multifamily housing complexes discriminated on the basis of disability. The complexes contain more than 800 units covered by the Fair Housing Act’s accessibility provisions.



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