Cuban artist hospitalised on Day 8 of hunger strike
A Cuban dissident artist was taken to hospital Sunday, health officials in Havana said, on the eighth day of a hunger strike to protest against authorities seizing his art.
Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara, 33, is the leader of the San Isidro protest movement (MSI) of artists and intellectuals pressing for free speech and other rights in the communist nation.
The Cuban government has accused Otero Alcantara and other movement members of political revolt funded by the United States.
The Havana public health department said Sunday the artist had been taken to the emergency unit of the General Calixto Garcia university hospital in the capital with symptoms of "voluntary starvation."
A later statement by the health authority claimed an examination showed that "starvation does not correspond with the parameters of the patient," and there "was hydration and food."
Images on state television showed Otero Alcantara arriving at the hospital in an ambulance at dawn, stepping out in a green gown and walking inside supported by medical staff.
Vehicle biometrics launched by SenseTime at Auto Shanghai 2021
SenseTime has unveiled a new, full-stack biometric and AI solution at Auto Shanghai 2021, an international industry exhibition running during April 19 to 28.
Dubbed SenseAuto, the system incorporates a number of the company’s solutions designed to provide smart driver assistance via computer vision and biometric sensors.
These include the Sense Auto Cabin-O Occupant Monitoring System (OMS), the SenseAuto Cabin-D Driver Monitoring System (DMS), and the SenseAuto Cabin-K Keyless Entry, together with the Virtual Companion and multiple in-vehicle infotainments (IVI) functions powered by augmented reality (AR).
SenseAuto was unveiled at the Auto Shanghai event in a WEY Mocha vehicle, a new SUV from Great Wall Motors.
Thanks to the solution’s multiple biometric sensors, the car is capable of triggering timely alerts via gaze tracking when recognizing signs of dangerous driving like drowsiness, distraction, and phone use.
“We are glad that the SenseAuto Cabin solution has achieved great success, which wouldn’t be possible without the solid foundation of our proprietary AI algorithm development,” said Xu Liang, VP of the Smart Cabin Business and Mobile Intelligence Group at SenseTime.
At the exhibition, SenseAuto was also showcased on a Chery Jetour X70 Plus Zhuge Edition. In addition to SenseAuto, the company debuted its Level 2 autonomous driving system Pilot-P at the event, which provides manufacturers with different levels of autonomous driving using cameras, mmWave radar, and LiDAR technologies.
“By empowering our partners’ platforms with our technologies, we help them streamline the R&D process to achieve higher performance,” Liang explained.
SenseTime recently received the Automotive Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination (ASPICE) L2 certification from independent safety experts TÜV Rheinland in Germany.
“In the future, we hope to collaborate with our partners to apply AI technologies to more scenarios and bring our users a full-stack, all-scenario smart cabin solution,” Liang concluded.
GARVIN THOMAS APPOINTED AS DIRECTOR OF TCIG PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
he Office of the Deputy Governor is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Garvin Thomas to the post of Director of the Turks and Caicos Government Public Works Department.
Garvin who was born and raised on the island of South Caicos, holds a Bachelor of Design degree in Architecture as well as a number of other certifications.
He joined the Turks and Caicos Civil Service in 2001 following his service as an Apprentice Architect at Simon and Wood Associates for a period of 4 years and has held numerous positions during his tenure with TCIG including the post of Assistant Architect and Project Coordinator before being promoted to the post of Assistant Director of the Public Works Department in 2014 and to the post of Deputy Director in 2018.
Commenting on his appointment Mr. Thomas said: “I would like to first and foremost give thanks to the almighty God for sparing my life and allowing me to see this day of which I am very proud of. A special thanks to my parents who
instilled in me great moral values and respect towards others in Authority. I am honored, humbled and thankful for the opportunity to continue to serve the Government and people of this great nation the Turks and Caicos Islands now as Director of the Public Works Department.
I am grateful for my team who have and continue to support me beyond my expectations during my tenure and my plan is to continue to advocate for the much-needed manpower and resources to enable the department to function efficiently. I look forward to advancing the Department to meet not only regional, but also international standards and best practices in the near future. My main goal and objective is to be the first to establish an Ordinance for the Public Works Department to regulate its functions and responsibilities as it relates to the construction and maintenance of roads, government buildings and to regulate utility companies in terms of the usage of other infrastructure that falls under the remit of PWD.
I look forward to working in this capacity and am grateful for the confidence placed in me. I Thank you.”
Deputy Governor Her Excellency Anya Williams in congratulating Mr. Thomas on his new appointment said: “It is with great pleasure that I take the opportunity to formally announce and congratulate Mr. Garvin Thomas on his appointment to the post of Director of the Turks and Caicos Islands Government Public Works Department.
Having had the opportunity to work directly with Garvin over the years on a number of projects and also hurricane preparedness and response, I can attest that he is an ardent and committed worker; someone you can always call on whenever there is a challenge. He is forward thinking and is always thinking of ways that he work to improve the output of himself, his department and team.
The Public Works Department plays a critical role in both creating and maintaining infrastructure across the Turks and Caicos Islands to support the sustainable growth and development of the TCI economy. It is therefore important that this department is properly funded, resourced and is led by a manager and team that is able to meet the needs of our ever changing environment.
I wish Garvin well on his promotion and look forward to working with him to continue to deliver on the mandate of the Public Works Department.”
A 'complete collapse' of preventive health: India's 2nd COVID wave explodes
India is caught in the throes of a ferocious second wave of coronavirus, with the nation's health authority reporting 360,960 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday alone, the seventh consecutive day with over 300,000 new infections.
Hospitals are overflowing, oxygen supplies are dwindling and ceaseless fires burn at crematoriums and makeshift funeral pyres, where families have been forced to forgo traditional ceremonies to make space for more bodies to be cremated.
Even the grim official numbers are likely a dramatic underestimation of India's actual infection and death toll. Daily infections, which topped 350,000 last week, combined with a test-positivity rate of more than 20%, "says to me that the true number of infections is maybe three times that," Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University's School of Public Health, said during a panel discussion on India's second wave on Tuesday.
That lack of preparation extended to vaccinations. Although India is among the world's biggest suppliers of vaccines, it has struggled to ramp up its own vaccination program. As of April 27, less than 2 percent of the population was fully vaccinated against the virus, according to Our World in Data.
In the meantime, if the virus continues to spread unchecked in India, new variants will continue to emerge experts warn, which presents a threat not just to India, but to the world.
Source-ABC
Eurozone suffers double-dip recession
The eurozone's economy has fallen back into recession as the impact of the pandemic continues to hit activity.
Europe's economies have been set back by a renewed surge in infections this year and Covid-related restrictions.
The eurozone shrank by 0.6% in the January-to-March period - the second consecutive contraction, which is a widely-used definition of a recession.
It is the second such episode, a so-called double-dip recession, since the onset of the pandemic.
However, among the national economies that have reported data so far, that pattern was repeated only by Italy.
Other countries reported some growth in one or other of the last two quarters.
The French economy did grow in the first three months of this year, by 0.4%, after a decline at the end of 2020, although the rebound was described by the national statistical agency as "limited".
In Germany it was the other way around, with some growth in the fourth quarter of last year and a sharp decline - of 1.7% - revealed by the latest figures.
That said, the economic damage in this phase of the health crisis is less severe. Economic activity in the eurozone in the most recent period was 11% higher than at the nadir in the second quarter of last year.
That supports the idea that businesses have found ways to reduce the impact that restrictions have on what they do, although for some the effect is still severe.
Looking ahead, this weak performance is expected to improve as vaccination programmes allow further easing of restrictions and support consumer confidence. That will be especially important in southern Europe where many businesses need to see a recovery in tourism.
Source-BBC
Sean Connery's last 007 pistol sells for $106K; Bruce Lee's nunchucks for $83K, and more
After furious online and in-person bidding, Julien's Auctions in Los Angeles saw some precious Hollywood memorabilia sell for a mint, as part of its ongoing "Hollywood Legends and Luminaries" series.
The Walther P5 pistol brandished by the late Sean Connery in his final James Bond film, 1983's Never Say Never Again, sold for $106,000. This comes after the pistol he carried in his first James Bond movie, 1962's Dr. No, fetched $256,000 in December.
Other items that sold during the two day event were a pair of wooden nunchucks used by Bruce Lee, which sold for $83,200 -- forty-one times what it was expected to fetch. A blue, pin-striped suit worn by Al Pacino from the climactic shootout scene in 1983's crime classic Scarface sold for $83,200 as well, while the .45 pistol that he carried in 1995's crime epic Heat went for $10,240.
An original prototype xenomorph costume from 1979's Alien sold for more the $44,800, and Michelle Pfieffer's Catwoman cowl from Tim Burton's 1992 film Batman Returns sold for $41,600, well over the $8,000 it was expected to fetch. And someone dropped $25,600 -- 25 times its estimated sales price -- on a wooden ping pong paddle used by Tom Hanks in his Oscar-winning film Forrest Gump.
The auction saw hundreds of other famous movie weapons up for grabs, also including the custom-made Bowie knife used by Brad Pitt in as Nazi hunter Lt. Aldo Raine in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, which sold for $32,000; Marshall Matt Dillon's Gunsmoke Colt .45, which went for $38,400; and Arnold Schwarzenegger's Mr. Freeze rifle from Batman & Robin, which sold for $19,200.
Source-ABC
WEATHER FOR FRIDAY APRIL 30th 2021
PARTLY SUNNY AND HOT WITH A FEW POSSIBLE SHOWERS. TURNING FAIR AND WARM AT NIGHT.
WINDS: SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS, FALLING LIGHT & VARIABLE AT TIMES IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS. EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS IN THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS & EASTERLY AT 15 KNOTS IN THE TURKS & CAICOS.
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET OVER THE OCEAN IN THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS & 3 TO 5 FEET IN THE TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS.
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE 88°F 31°C
OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURE 72°F 22°C
SUNRISE: 6:35 AM
SUNSET: 7:32 PM
MOONSET: 8:39 AM
MOONRISE: 10:49 PM
Former Sri Lanka Test player gets six-year ban for match-fixing
Sri Lanka's former Test cricketer and Bowling Coach Nuwan Zoysa was banned for six years on Wednesday by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for match-fixing during a T10 tournament in the United Arab Emirates.
The ban on the 42-year-old is backdated to October 2018 when he was suspended pending an investigation into his conduct at the inaugural Sharjah tournament in 2017.
“Contriving to fix a game betrays the basis of sporting principles,” the ICC's anti-corruption chief Alex Marshall said. “It will not be tolerated in our sport.
“In his role as a national coach, he should have acted as a role model. Instead, he became involved with a corrupter and attempted to corrupt others.”
There was no immediate comment from Zoysa, but he had expressed shock when the ICC initially announced in November that he had been found guilty.
“It is a fallacious and cheap gimmick by the ICC to perform such an act (of announcing guilt) intentionally to tarnish my reputation and the reputation of my beloved country,” Zoysa told reporters in Colombo at the time.
Source- BBC
Brazil passes 400,000 deaths due to Covid
It was heart wrenching for our news team yet again, to look at the dashboard as the numbers climbed higher by the hour.
The number of deaths related to Covid-19 has passed 400,000 now in Brazil, the second-highest in the world, as the country continues to struggle with its vaccination programme.
There were just around 3,001 deaths in 24 hours, after a peak of more than 4,000 was reached at the start of April.
The 14-day average of deaths and cases remains high but has seen a slight reduction.
Congress has opened an inquiry into the government's handling of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, President Jair Bolsonaro, who has frequently spoken out against lockdowns, masks and defended unproved drugs as treatment, is facing widespread criticism and his support has plummeted.
The outbreak has been fuelled by more transmissible variants of the virus and a lack of co-ordinated national measures. The situation has improved in many areas, including where the health system was on the brink of collapse, but they are already being eased.
Brazil recorded 100,000 deaths in just 37 days, between March and April, which were the worst months in the country. Only the US has a higher death toll.
Since the start of the pandemic, Brazil has had more than 14.5 million cases.
Source-BBC
UN improves Latin American growth forecast for 2021
The previous forecast of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), in December, had been for growth of 3.7 per cent in 2021.
In 2020, the region saw its economy contract 7.1 per cent as it was ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The updated growth projection, said ECLAC executive secretary Alicia Barcena, will not allow the region "to return to the level of (economic) activity before the pandemic".
Furthermore, the region's economic recovery depended on numerous "uncertainties," including access to vaccines and the shots' efficacy, which was "also not guaranteed," she said.
Hard-hit by the economic and social impacts of the pandemic, Latin America and the Caribbean risk a recovery that will be "asymmetrical, divergent, and lead to more disparities," said Barcena.
The region now has about 44 million unemployed people, a situation the ECLAC boss said was due to "old structural" problems.