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Two ENC Counties Report COVID-19 Deaths

Two counties in Eastern North Carolina are reporting COVID-19 related deaths. Craven County Health officials say an individual who tested positive for coronavirus a week ago died at CarolinaEast Medical Center on Thursday. Another person in Carteret County died from complications associated with COVID-19 today. The individual was in their late 60’s and had several underlying health conditions. There are 22 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Carteret County and 32 positive cases in Craven County.




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North Carolina Reports 350 New Coronavirus Cases

Authorities in North Carolina are reporting 350 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, pushing the total number of cases to 6,500. Numbers released Sunday by the state health department show laboratory-confirmed cases increased from 6,140 cases to 6,493. The death toll increased from 164 to 172. Modeling released Friday by the University of Washington suggests that North Carolina may have reached its peak in coronavirus cases in the last few days, and that social distancing could be relaxed as soon as May 11 if sufficient testing is conducted, large gatherings are limited and other provisions remain in effect. Other models are less optimistic.




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Craven, Jones, And Lenoir Counties Report COVID-19 Deaths

Three Eastern North Carolina counties are reporting COVID-19 related deaths today. Health officials in Lenoir County say an individual over the age of 65 with underlying medical conditions died. It is the first fatality in Lenoir County due to coronavirus. The Craven County Health Department announced another person died from COVID-19 complications. Craven County now has a total of four coronavirus deaths. The Jones County Health Department said in a news release that their second coronavirus death is an individual in their 90's with underlying medical conditions.




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State Reports First Inmate Death At NC Prison

The state says an inmate at a medium security prison in Burgaw died Tuesday from complications due to COVID-19. The inmate, which was housed at Pender Correctional Institution, was in their 50s and had underlying health conditions. “This is a sad day as all human life is precious," said Todd Ishee, Commissioner of Prisons with the N.C. Department of Public Safety. "The health and safety of our staff and the men and women in our custody is of the utmost importance to us.” According to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Service's website, there are outbreaks at five correctional institutions in North Carolina– the largest of which is at Neuse Correctional Institution in Wayne County where more than 450 inmates and staff have tested positive for COVID-19.




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WNIJ Presents "Context - Safe Neighborhoods, Safe City: Changing Roles of Police and Community"

There’s been a lot of news about strained relationships between police officers and the citizens they serve. Police officials say they’re making changes to improve relations and build trust within the community but critics claim not enough is being done. WNIJ's public forum, “Context - Safe Neighborhoods, Safe City: Changing Roles of Police and Community,” was held Thursday, August 27, 2015, at the Kresge Hall in the Riverfront Museum Park, in Rockford. WNIJ Reporter Sue Stephens moderated the Context panel. Guests were: Rockford Mayor Lawrence J. Morrissey Rockford Police Chief Chet Epperson State Representative Litesa Wallace United Way Community Impact Manager Matthew Simpson For more information about WNIJ's Context series, please contact Maria Boynton, Director of Community Engagement, at mboynton@niu.edu or at (815) 753-9000.




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Rockford Leaders Talk 'Campaign Zero,' Police Interactions

Activists in the Black Lives Matter movement recently published a 10-point plan to reduce police violence. Rockford leaders are responding to the proposal. It’s called "Campaign Zero." National activists want stronger guidelines limiting the use of force. They also want to ban police quotas for tickets and arrests , and end the sale of military weapons to police forces. Rockford Mayor Larry Morrissey: “I don’t know that it’s intended to be a one-size solution. It lays out a series of agenda items. We are already moving forward on a vast majority of what I think those items are.” Morrissey says new measures at the state level are also intended to address interactions during field interviews, or a so-called “stop-and-frisk.” “The next step will be, starting next year, we will have to give a receipt to the individual so they know who is the officer-- and their badge number. If they have a complaint to file, they will have more information to do that.” Matthew Simpson co-leads My Brother’s




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Perspective: COVID-19 Exposes Flawed Food Security System

“I never thought I would have to ask for food.” The young mother said as a box was placed in her car. In the last three weeks over 500,000 Illinois residents have filed for unemployment. We have never seen such a sudden, dramatic increase in the need for food in our region. There are now growing lines at area food pantries. Numbers of those seeking help has tripled. For 70% of them this is their first visit to a food pantry. This is occurring when food banks are receiving fewer donations from their sources. The food banks are dependent upon the donations from large food chains. Usually food whose shelf life has nearly expired, or produce that is about to go bad. Because nervous buyers have cleared out so many store shelves there is less leftover to donate. When you live at the bottom of the food chain and depend on leftovers, it is extra frightening when there is little left behind. We need to use this crisis to question our present food system built on dependence. We need to ask how




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Perspective: Do Mom And Dad Have A Point?

During tough times, my parents sing a song. It's sweet -- two real voices, not quite in tune, but full of energy. Whenever I complained, they’d break into song: You’ve got to accentuate the positive Eliminate the negative Latch on to the affirmative And don’t mess with Mr. In-Between! Listening, I often thought it’s old fashioned mumbo jumbo. It’s parent talk. Finally, I listened to Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters sing the whole song. The lyrics surprised me: You've got to spread joy up to the maximum Bring gloom down to the minimum Have faith or pandemonium’s Liable to walk upon the scene Sitting at home, while medical professionals work long hours, while so many small businesses struggle, we have a choice. We can accentuate the positive. But, it’s rosy skies and all smiles. Does it encompass our entire situation? Those who may be ill, who are alone, who may not be safe at home? Does it lack a realistic message for those whose lives are so far from simple hope? Since we can’t




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Alcohol policy needed for lockdowns: No need to detest booze, say mental health experts

Experts says India needs to avoid ‘vice versus virtue’ dichotomy with regard to alcohol.




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With 45 pc of national intake, southern states draw 10-15 pc revenue from liquor: Report

The five southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala together consume as much as 45 per cent of all liquor sold in the country, the report by Crisil said. While Tamil Nadu and Kerala top the list in revenue percentage terms at 15 per cent each, for Kerala the tax on liquor is its single largest revenue source.




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Madras High Court orders for TASMAC shops closure as TN crosses 6,000 Covid-19 positive cases

The High Court passed the interim order on Friday as a result of the blatant violation of the conditions that the court had prescribed under which liquor shops could function. These conditions included adhering to social distancing norms while also deploying additional staff to manage the crowd.




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Nike temporarily closes European headquarters due to coronavirus case

Dutch news agency ANP, citing an internal email, reported overnight that the office in Hilversum would be disinfected. The employee was staying home in isolation for 14 days, it said.




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Huge trade opportunities in Russia for leather, footwear exports: CLE Chairman

Russia has imported leather and footwear worth USD 3.9 billion in 2018, and India's exports to that country stood at only USD 52.6 million, said Panaruna Aqeel Ahmed, chairman of Council for Leather Exports (CLE).




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Hong Kong sports brand Xtep to enter five more cities

The brand will expand into Hyderabad, Goa, Kochi, Pune and Mysuru next year by introducing products through a mix of exclusive and multi-brand outlets, Xtep India director Vijay Chowdhary said at an event here organised in memory of US-born boxing legend Muhammad Ali.




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Small towns purchase more sportswear via e-platforms

Sportswear makers say sales in tier II and III towns have grown exponentially in the last few years and contribute a sizable percentage of their revenue now.




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Puma ropes in actress Kareena Kapoor Khan as brand ambassador

Khan will be the face for Puma’s soon-to-be launched collection of low-intensity training apparel collection targeted at workouts such as yoga, barre, and pilates. The new line will be launched in April and retailed both online and offline.




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Adidas launches “FasterThan” campaign to celebrate women in sports

With this campaign, the brand aims to highlight the inspirational stories of real women, influencers and athletes from different age groups and fields through the medium of a film, said the company.




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Adidas apologises after backlash over refusing to pay rent amid coronavirus scare

"We would like to wholeheartedly apologise. We have paid our landlords the rent for April." Adidas, which made a net profit of nearly two billion euros ($2.2 billion) in 2019, has been hard hit by a slump in Chinese sales and store closures around the world.




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Titan Company drops 10% on poor H2 guidance

Analysts have largely cut their FY20 earnings forecast for the Tata Group firm by 4-10 per cent.




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Traditional watches to get a sporty twist as athleisure trend picks up in 2020

The growth of healthy lifestyle has added impetus to the athleisure trend.




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Lavie launches newbrand Lavie Sport

According to the company, each piece will have features such as front quick-access pockets, anti-theft zippers, mesh back padding and multiple spacious compartments found throughout the collection.




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Swiss watchmakers see exports plunge amid pandemic

Exports to Hong Kong, the sector's biggest market, plummeted 41.3 percent, while exports to France fell 48 percent, and those to South Korea were down 46.2 percent.




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COVID-19 forces Apple to temporarily close retail store in Italy

Due to an 'abundance of caution' as the coronavirus threat loomed, Apple closed all retail stores, corporate offices and contact centres in Mainland China. Last week, Apple warned that coronavirus outbreak will affect its business in the January-March quarter as worldwide iPhone supply will be temporarily constrained




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Got a Crush on Candy Crush? You Can Soon Wear It Developer of world’s most popular game signs licensing deal with Dream Theatre

King Digital Entertainment Plc, owner of Candy Crush, has signed an exclusive licensing deal with Mumbai-based Dream Theatre, to license and sell Candy Crush branded products across South Asia.




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Flair Writing Industries files IPO papers with Sebi

The offer comprises a fresh issue aggregating up to Rs 330 crore and an offer for sale of up to Rs 120 crore.




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Sanjay Kalra appointed as President of HSIL's Bath Products Business

Kalra was earlier associated with HSIL as Senior Vice President – Sales. Prior to joining HSIL, Kalra has held leadership positions at Sintex Industries, Somany Ceramics, and Pidlite Industries.




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Durables, electronic items to feature high on shoppers' list post lockdown: Croma

Products such as laptops, smartphones and printers have become crucial for those working from home, while household appliances like washing machines, ACs, TVs and vacuum cleaners are now more important than ever for households.




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Top smartphone and electronic brands postpone production plans till lockdown ends

Several brands took the decision since both offline and online market is closed leading to piling up of inventory in their warehouses, and several of their plants falling in red zones or in states where permission has not yet been given. Some states like Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Karnataka have also decided to not provide any relaxation to industries till the lockdown ends.




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Appliance, consumer electronics makers look at production resumption post lockdown

Companies like Panasonic India, Godrej Appliances, Dixon Technologies and Super Plastronics Pvt Ltd said with retail outlets shut there is no point to start production as there is existing unsold inventory of March at warehouses and dealers.




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Samsung heir apologises over corruption scandal

Lee Jae-yong is vice-chairman of Samsung Electronics and was jailed for five years in 2017 for bribery, embezzlement and other offences in connection with the scandal that brought down South Korean president Park Geun-hye.




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Ashraf ElArman appointed Managing Director of Xerox India

Documentation solutions firm Xerox today announced the appointment of Ashraf ElArman as Managing Director of its Indian unit, effective June 22.




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Tolexo appoints Myntra executive Mayank Kamal as Head of Supply Chain

At Myntra, Kamal was heading different verticals including logistics, operations excellence and the training function, where he built the in-house logistics team and scaled it to include more than 3500 people, spread across 80 plus towns and delivering over 100,000 packets a day.




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Hanung Toys promoter detained at airport following LOC issued by PNB

Hanung Toys and Textile Ltd owes Rs 2,300 crore from a consortium of 15 lenders led by state-owned PNB, which alone has exposure of Rs 599 crore.




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Karnataka Bank reports Rs 40.39cr fraud by Hanung Toys and Textiles

​​H​​anung Toys and Textiles Ltd (borrowing account) dealing with the bank since 2008 had availed various credit facilities under consortium arrangement wherein, Karnataka Bank was one of the member banks, it said in a regulatory filing.




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200% import duty hike to hit toy business in India: Importers

The Centre, in the Union budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, has proposed raising the import duty on toys from 20 per cent to 60 per cent from the next fiscal, saying that the step would support the MSMEs and promote local manufacturing.




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Jewellers witness encouraging response from customers on their digital platforms for Akshaya Tritiya

Mr. Ajoy Chawla, CEO, Jewellery Division at Titan Company Limited said, "All 328 Tanishq stores remain shut this year and hence it would be unfair to compare numbers with last year. But the overall customer response to tanishq.co.in from key metros and even with tier-2 and tier-3 towns has been extremely encouraging.




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Diamond polishing industry staring at a decade low revenue : Crisil

Assuming the pandemic starts subsiding by June and trade channels normalise over the next quarter, CRISIL expects a revival in demand to be pushed into the second half of the fiscal.




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Rough diamond import may be curtailed as pandemic stalls trade

India’s gross import of rough diamonds had declined by 13.43% to $12.39 billion between April 2019 and February 2020 from a year earlier.




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Garment exporters' body expresses inability to pay workers' pay for April, May

The body has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and state chief ministers to facilitate payement of wages to workers for these two months. GEMA president Vijay Jindal also sought intervention of Textile Minister Smriti Irani and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the matter.




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Pepe Jeans, Tom Ford & Max Mara are least transparent fashion brands, likely to have poor working conditions in factories

The annual index by advocacy group Fashion Revolution - now in its fifth year - ranked 250 of the world's biggest brands according to how much information they disclose about their social and environmental policies, practices and outcomes.




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Apparel exporters seek complete waiver of demurrage on shipments

In a letter to Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, he said the council members could not clear the shipments on time because of lack of documents, "therefore, demurrage waiver may please be granted starting from March 1 till the time lockdown continues".




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Noida: No orders for next 2 years, say garment exporters

According to exporters, payments of previous dispatches are also withheld by importers in the UK and Europe. These exporters employ about 50,000 people, and 60% of them are women engaged in tailoring, thread-cutting and other hands-on work.




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Rising demand for PPE products provides huge opportunity for domestic exporters: AEPC

The council had recently organised a webinar on 'Manufacturing of PPE Products under Medical Textiles', which saw about 2,000 participants, mainly apparel exporters from across the country.




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Unicharm, maker of Mamy Poko pants, posts 85% jump in sales at Rs 789 crore

The Indian unit of Unicharm Corporation has moved within striking distance of market leader Procter & Gamble in the Indian diaper market.




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Alexa, report to the e-commerce regulator

​​​The intention is to bring all B2B, B2C, consumer-facing, consumer-based content platforms, apps-based commerce and IoT device-based services under the policy, potentially engulfing products like the Amazon Echo, which is powered by artificial intelligence-driven virtual assistant Alexa, and MG Hector, the Internet-enabled vehicle from Morris Garages in the regulatory realm of e-commerce.




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Flipkart appoints Sriram Venkataraman as CFO

In his new role, Venkataraman will be responsible for key finance operations and functions at Flipkart and Myntra, including Tax, Risk Management, and Treasury.




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Covid-19 crisis has highlighted e-commerce importance,cooperation in cross-border goods, services movement: WTO

Highlighting that network capacity and higher bandwidth services have proved to be crucial, not only during the pandemic itself, but also for e-commerce and economic inclusion in general, it said in an information note: “What can WTO members do to improve communications networks and services?”




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E-commerce players face manpower, zone issues

Even at locations open to deliveries, e-commerce players are facing manpower crunch due to travel restrictions on delivery partners.




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L’Oréal India appoints Amit Jain as new MD

Jain, who will join from August this year, will be L’Oréal India’s first Indian managing director after the French cosmetics giant entered in 1991.




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VLCC ropes in Jayant Khosla, formerly with Landmark, as chief business officer ahead of IPO

Khosla’s mandate will be overseeing the firm’s wellness centres, personal care products and its institute of beauty and nutrition, across Middle East, Africa and CIS countries.