Month: July 2020

Kim Jong-un has joined the time-honoured tradition of macho displays by authoritarian leaders in a new series of photos where he masterfully gallops a white steed up North Korea’s highest mountain while slamming US sanctions. 

Evoking fellow strongman Vladimir Putin’s barechested horse-riding bravado in 2009, Kim chose to keep his shirt on, opting for this season’s brown fur-lined winter coat as he charged fearlessly through the first snows of Mount Paektu, his reclusive country’s most sacred peak. 

A statement released by the state-run KCNA news agency called his photo shoot "a great event of weighty importance in the history of the Korean revolution,” describing the supreme commander’s eyes as “full of noble glitters” when gazing across the majestic vista and contemplating the weight of his destiny. 

The series of carefully choreographed pictures, clearly staged to underscore an image of strong leadership and authority, show Kim racing the horse across a snowy path, and taking time to reflect while riding at a slower pace through pine trees. 

According to the Yonhap news agency, Kim also visited a special tourist zone under construction in Samjiyon County at the foot of the mountain, which the country hopes can help revive its struggling economy.

Kim lashed out at the United States for its ongoing tough economic sanctions amid a diplomatic stalemate in negotiations to end the North’s nuclear and missiles programme.

An attempt earlier this month in Sweden to revive backroom talks ended in failure and a warning from Pyongyang that it would not meet the US for more “sickening negotiations” unless it abandoned its “hostile policy.”

"The situation of the country is difficult owing to the ceaseless sanctions and pressure by the hostile forces, and there are many hardships and trials facing us," Kim said, according to KCNA. 

"The pain the US-led anti-DPRK hostile forces inflicted upon the Korean people is no longer pain, but it turned into their anger."

The North Korean leader’s projection of his power through horsemanship marked a creative shift from his usual policy of test-firing a few missiles in frustration at US policy towards the North, but it may also have been a teaser of what is to come if there is no further progress in nuclear talks.

KCNA’s colourful report of Kim’s mountain expedition ended with the cryptic sign off that “the officials accompanying him were convinced with overflowing emotion and joy that there will be a great operation to strike the world with wonder again and make a step forward in the Korean revolution.”

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Police in Norway have arrested a man believed to be connected to the neo-Nazi Nordic Resistance Movement after he hijacked an ambulance and ran amok through northern Oslo, driving up onto the pavement, hitting pedestrians.

During the 15-minute rampage, the 32 year old hit a pushchair carrying seven-month-old twins and narrowly missed an elderly couple. Thankfully none of the victims were seriously injured. 

"The perpetrator hijacked the ambulance with a shotgun and tried to escape. He deliberately drove the car up onto the pavement to hit random people, and also tried to hit a police car," Johan Fredriksen, operations chief at the Oslo Police told Norway’s public broadcaster NRK. 

He said the police had tried and failed to stop the ambulance three times by firing off shots before it was halted.  It then crashed into a gate by a building, after which eyewitnesses said police smashed the windscreen and pulled the man from inside.

Images showed that the ambulance had several bullet holes in the front left door.

Oslo attack

Inside the vehicle, police found the shotgun, an Uzi submachine gun, and large quantities of drugs. 

The man has been charged with attempted murder, while a 25-year-old woman, who was also allegedly involved, has been charged with weapons offences. Before the woman was seized shortly before 4pm, police said she appeared to be "intoxicated".

According to NRK, the man has been previously convicted for a long list of offences, including making illegal threats, using a firearm, drugs offences, vandalism and theft. 

Several independent sources have told the broadcaster that he has distributed propaganda for the Nordic Resistance Movement, although they said he was not a member of the neo-Nazi group.

Norway is highly prepared for far-Right terrorist attacks, after 77 people were killed in the brutal gun and bomb massacre mounted in 2011 by Anders Breivik.    

At the press conference, senior Oslo police officer Grete Lien Metlid said investigators were "familiar with the information" about the man’s far-Right links, but said it was too early to judge what role, if any, they had played in the attack.  

"What was the purpose? What was the motive? We cannot answer this at such an early stage of the investigation," he said.

According to the Dagbladet newspaper, police suspect that the man may have hijacked the ambulance after crashing the car he was driving. 

Shortly before the hijack began at 12.30pm on Tuesday, a person believed to be the alleged perpetrator was photographed carrying a blue Ikea bag so heavily loaded that he had to carry it with both hands. 

In early 2017, the man was involved in a police car chase after he refused to stop for a breathalyser test. He then shut himself up in a property, after which police negotiated with him for several hours.

When they finally gained access, they found what was described as "a fire bomb" inside the property.

The man was jailed for four weeks for the offences, despite the court warning in its judgement that there was "a strong degree of probability that the defendant [would] again commit similar crimes to those with which he is charged if released". 

The man has also long struggled with drug problems, and has previously been sentenced to compulsory drug treatment. 

Annette Aamodt, senior advisor at Norway’s PST police security service, told the Daily Telegraph that she agreed with police that it was too early to judge whether the hijack had been intended as a terror attack. 

"It’s too early to say that it has anything to do with the extreme right, or if it’s to do with crime," she said. "We’re cooperting closely with the Oslo police district and we’re doing assessments on a wide scale to figure out whether this will affect the threat level in Norway." 

Oslo University Hospital has confirmed that none of the three employees who were in the ambulance at the time of the hijack had been injured, and that two twins had "only minor injuries". 

A British former headmaster of an international school in China has been jailed for 10 months in Singapore after admitting possession and consumption of methamphetamine, officials said Tuesday.

Damien Michael Charnock used to be the head of Dulwich College Shanghai, a branch of the exclusive London private school.

Police arrested the 60-year-old in March at an apartment in the city-state and discovered bags containing the drug and a glass contraption for smoking it, according to court documents.

The case has echoes of hit American TV programme Breaking Bad, which tells the story of a chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with cancer and turns to making meth to raise money to secure his family’s future.

Charnock pleaded guilty to three drug charges, and the attorney-general’s chambers confirmed he was jailed on Friday.

His offences represented "a precipitous fall from grace", defence lawyer Remy Choo was cited as saying by Singapore news outlet CNA.

"His life’s work as a talented and immensely devoted educator lies in tatters."

He had been smoking crystal meth since 2017 and was employed as a curriculum developer at the time of the offences, the court documents said, without mentioning who his employer was.

Singapore – which has tough anti-narcotics laws – punishes consumption of methamphetamine with a jail term of up to 10 years, and a fine of up to Sg$20,000 (£11,500).

In an interview in 2015, Charnock said he was appointed to work at the Shanghai institution in 2014 after years as a headmaster at a school in London.

Dulwich College, founded in the 17th century, now has several branches in Asia, including in Singapore.

An alleged white supremacist has been arrested in an FBI sting after allegedly plotting to blow up a synagogue or poison those inside with arsenic.

Richard Holzer, 27, was accused of domestic terrorism after it was alleged he planned to target Temple Emanuel in Pueblo, Colorado.

He was said to have met undercover FBI agents at a motel, and the agents brought with them supposed pipe bombs and dynamite he planned to use on the synagogue.

According to an FBI affidavit Holzer told the undercover agents the explosives were "absolutely gorgeous" and said they should go ahead with the attack overnight to avoid police.

He said it was a "move for our race" and the synagogue was a "cancer," it was claimed.

The affidavit, filed in the US District Court in Colorado, said: “Holzer stated that he did not think anyone would be there [the synagogue], but that if they were, Holzer would not care because they would be Jews."

He was also accused of threatening to poison the water at the synagogue with arsenic.

The investigation into Holzer began after an undercover FBI agent, purporting to be a woman who supported white supremacy, contacted him on Facebook at the end of September.

Holzer was said to have sent her swastikas, and to have told her he had formerly been in the Ku Klux Klan but was now a skinhead.

He also allegedly told the undercover FBI agent on Facebook that he was getting ready for a racial holy war, and that he had employed a man known as "Mexican Hitler" to "hex and poison" the synagogue.

Holzer, from Pueblo, Colorado, was due to make his first court appearance on Monday.

It was not clear if he had a lawyer representing him.

The Temple Emanuel synagogue is the second-oldest in Colorado and was completed in 1900.

It has a congregation of about 30 families and a rabbi from Denver who travels to Pueblo twice a month.

Pueblo is about a two hour drive south of Denver.  

BRANFORD, CT — It is a rare disease with no cure. And Branford 11-year-old Meghan Keeney is suffering with it — the word suffering an understatement as complex regional pain syndrome is defined by what its name implies: debilitating pain that does not go away.

The disease is so rare it’s still not a completely understood neurological disorder and fewer than 200,000 Americans are diagnosed with it.

Meghan is one of them. She suffered an injury several weeks ago, but the agonizing pain has remained.

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic pain condition that mainly affects the arms, legs, hands and feet, but may involve the entire body and symptoms often begin after an injury with a “continuous, intense pain that is out of proportion to the severity of the injury. The pain gets worse over time and often spreads,” according to the National Institutes of Health.

Anna Silvestro Keeney told Patch that her daughter, a sixth grader at Francis Walsh Intermediate School, has been a dancer since she was just a year old and a competitive dancer with Dance Unlimited. She just also finished her second year of competition with Branford youth cheer leading.

“So that adds to the horribleness of this,” she said.

Meghan sprained her ankle. That was the injury.

“This disease is aggressive and nasty,” Keeney told Patch. “It spreads and it hurts. It is known as the worse pain, worse than childbirth. It is nicknamed ‘The Suicide Disease.’ Some people go as far as to amputate their affected limbs and the pain still doesn’t go away. This all started with a sprained ankle. It’s a mother’s worse nightmare come true.

“She is a kind, compassionate, caring kid and everyone who meets her just loves her. Which is why I can’t comprehend how God could have let this happen to her. I’m so frustrated.”

And as if the horrible pain wasn’t enough, the cost to help her child is exorbitant.

Meghan is going to Hartford Hospital pain treatment center to determine eligibility for Calmare/Scrambler Therapy. Treatments can run up to $1,000 a session and are not covered by insurance. She will need a minimum of 10 sessions if they determine she is responding to the treatment.”

Unable to attend school due to the condition, her family reached out to Patricia Robinson for advice on home schooling options. Robinson was moved to create a GoFundMe to help the family cover the costs of an inpatient hospitalization that she says is not covered by the family’s insurance.

A scholarship for the YMCA’s warm water pool is in the works, Robinson wrote, “to try another way of encouraging that foot movement.”

And Robinson wrote that, “a group of Branford mom’s started a food train. A cooler is being put on the outside of the house for drop off.”

The GoFundMe campaign begun five days ago and a goal of $25,000 was set. As of Wednesday morning, nearly $10,000 in donations have been promised.

“A few weeks ago, she was like any other kid, and today, she is faced with long term hospital stays and treatment. This diagnosis is huge folks! She needs our help,” Robinson wrote on GoFundMe. “Her parents came to me looking for home schooling advice and within a few days things have progressed way beyond that…this is an appeal for help for this family.”

Meghan has an appointment at Boston Children’s Hospital in mid-March.

Anna Silvestro Keeney told Patch that her prayers for her daughter are unceasing.

“I’m praying for her constantly. I took her to my alma mater last week, Sacred Heart Academy, to pray in the chapel. The efforts are being made for the beatification of Mother Clelia Merloni. Meghan wants to go to Sacred Heart terribly and there was just a calling to Mother Clelia I can’t explain. We had been praying to her directly. Then I found out the relic that Sacred Heart has in the chapel was an ankle bone. I drove her up there immediately. I’m praying for a miracle for my baby girl.”

MARIETTA, GA — Days after testing positive for coronavirus, a North Carolina couple was allowed to fly home from a metro Atlanta quarantine facility, their daughter told WSB-TV.

The couple stayed at the Old Radisson hotel in Marietta, which was used as a federal quarantine center for about a week, the TV station said.

They were passengers aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship, who were flown into Marietta’s Dobbins Air Reserve Base on March 12 for a two-week quarantine.

The first group from the cruise ship, which included 34 Georgians, arrived at Dobbins on March 11. They were taken to their homes to self-quarantine. The air base is located at 1291 Cobb Parkway, which is about 20 miles northwest of Atlanta.

Related: Passengers On Cruise Ship Hit By Coronavirus Arrive In Marietta

The couple, who are 75 and 85 years old, were released on Friday. They had positive coronavirus tests a week before the cruise line booked a flight for them back home to North Carolina on Friday, WSB-TV reports.

Their daughter, who said her mother had a fever two days before the trip, was upset they were allowed to fly home on a commercial flight, rather than a charter flight.

“I’m fuming because I don’t understand why they’re allowed to go on a commercial flight,” their daughter, Lauri Lyn Hodges, told the TV station. “I mean, they treated it initially like they were a biohazard threat to the community and you’d never know that a week later, they’re like, ‘You just hop on whatever commercial airline we can get you worked up with and expose the public.'”

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An employee of the Department of Health and Human Services told WSB-TV that “anyone released from federal quarantine meets Center for Disease Prevention and Control guidelines,” which include:

People with positive coronavirus tests and no symptoms should stop home isolation 7 days after the test results come back, and they can’t be sick.People with coronavirus and symptoms can stop isolation after their fever is gone, they have improved respiratory symptoms, like cough or shortness of breath, and they’ve had two negative swab specimens collected more than a day apart.

Department of Health and Human Services said they work with states and have contacted North Carolina about the incoming positive cases.

Meanwhile, the Princess cruise line told the TV station that “they make flight arrangements with directives from the federal government.”

“With regards to quarantine processes, Princess has followed the directives by the CDC and Health and Human Services,” the statement continued. “Any questions about those processes, procedures and decisions should be directed to Health and Human Services.”

All cruise ship passengers were medically screened by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, WXIA reported. The CDC is responsible for the quarantine operation, according to Dobbins officials.

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EDISON, NJ — A groundbreaking saliva test for the new coronavirus developed by researchers at Rutgers University’s Human Genetics Institute — one that uses patients’ spit samples instead of a painful nasal swab — has just been granted approval from the Food and Drug Administration and will go into use this week in New Jersey.

For the first time anywhere in the United States, the saliva tests will be offered to the general public starting Wednesday at the Edison Motor Vehicle Commission test site on Kilmer Road.

During his press conference on Tuesday, Gov. Phil Murphy suggested that the new testing could be part of the “robust” strategy New Jersey needs to help contain the coronavirus and, hopefully, help the state eventually reopen the economy. Read more: Gov. Murphy: NJ Coronavirus Outbreak Again Has Deadliest Day: 365

Rutgers said the White House’s COVID-19 task force is working with the university to make these tests available nationwide.

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Middlesex County officials say that, to the best of their knowledge, the Edison location is the first test site in the nation to begin offering coronavirus saliva testing in a drive-thru setting.

To be tested at the Kilmer Road site, people must make an appointment in advance. More information on how to make an appointment and site hours is below. The testing is free.

The Rutgers scientists who invented the coronavirus saliva testing say the benefits are threefold. First, the test is less painful and less invasive than the existing test. Instead of having a swab far into the upper nasal cavity — it’s been described as excruciating — patients now simply provide a spit sample into a test tube, in what the researchers call “spit and seal.” Patients can also provide the spit-in-a-test tube sample themselves; they do not need to be taken by a healthcare worker.

Second, test results are much faster. Instead of three to five days, test results are available within 24 to 48 hours, a Middlesex County spokeswoman said. Third, because the saliva tests can be processed more quickly, more people can be tested in one day — potentially up to 10,000 per day.

The coronavirus saliva tests were developed at Rutgers’ RUCDR Infinite Biologics, led by chief operating officer Andrew Brooks, in partnership with Spectrum Solutions and Accurate Diagnostic Labs (ADL), both privately owned labs.

RUCDR Infinite Biologics is based in Piscataway and says it is the world’s largest university-based cell and DNA repository. It is part of the Rutgers’ Human Genetics Institute.

The saliva testing method is based on a Nobel Prize-winning laboratory technique that makes millions of copies of the SARS-CoV-2 virus nucleic acid (in this case RNA) in a sample.

As Patch reported, Rutgers unveiled the coronavirus saliva tests April 2. However, because the tests lacked FDA approval, it was only offered to patients and first responders — doctors and nurses — within the Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health network, a Rutgers partner.

However, this past weekend, the FDA granted what’s known as “emergency use authorization” to give the saliva tests to the general public. It’s the first time the FDA has given such emergency approval, according to a Rutgers news release. The FDA letter that gives emergency approval has been made publicly available, and it can be read it here.

According to the news release, the FDA approved the tests Saturday and, that same day, Brooks said he received a call from the White House’s COVID-19 task force offering congratulations and asking how they could expand the saliva testing nationwide.

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“The impact of this approval is significant,” said Brooks, who also is a professor in the Rutgers genetics department. “It means we no longer have to put health care professionals at risk for infection by performing nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal collections. We can preserve precious personal protective equipment for use in patient care instead of testing. We can significantly increase the number of people tested each and every day, as self-collection of saliva is more quick and scalable than swab collections. All of this combined will have a tremendous impact on testing in New Jersey and across the United States.”

With that approval in hand, the saliva tests is to be rolled out to the Edison MVC test site starting Wednesday. The test tube samples will be analyzed by RUCDR Infinite Biologics at their Piscataway labs.

Two other start-up companies, MicroGen DX and Vault Health, are unveiling what they say are at-home saliva tests for coronavirus; Vault’s test is available now on their website. RUCDR Infinite Biologics is also working with Vault to distribute their tests nationwide through telemedicine.

The saliva tests will only be available there Monday, Wednesday and Friday of each week. The Edison test site is at the Kilmer Vehicle Inspection/Driving Testing Center, a COVID-19 drive-thru testing facility on 33 Kilmer Road in Edison.

Brooks also predicted the sheer volume of samples that now can be tested will also help scientists come up with a coronavirus vaccine. The Rutgers RUCDR Infinite Biologics team is working to expand the coronavirus saliva testing nationwide.

The Edison test site was chosen because it is located very close to the Piscataway research labs of RUCDR Infinite Biologics. Middlesex County also already had the existing infrastructure and operational capabilities to introduce the new type of tests.

“We believe our state-of-the-art drive-thru model can set a benchmark for testing that can benefit the state and other counties,” said Middlesex County Freeholder Director Ronald Rios. “Middlesex County has built the operations and infrastructure from the ground up to enable us to provide innovative solutions.”

To get tested:

The criteria to get tested does not appear to have changed. First, you must be a Middlesex County resident (valid driver’s license or state-issued identification is required); make an appointment online or via phone; and have either a valid doctor’s prescription or be exhibiting symptoms that include a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher (99.6 degrees for people 65 years and older), respiratory symptoms and/or shortness of breath.

Middlesex County residents who have symptoms and would like to be tested should visit Middlesexcountynj.gov/COVID19testing to make an appointment. They will be assigned a time to report to the testing site.

Registrants must bring the completed registration form and proof of residency including, but not limited to: a valid driver’s license; state issued identification; or two pieces of mail including utility bills, bank statements, or similar documentation with name and address, to the testing site.

If a resident does not have access to the internet or is having connectivity problems, they are instructed to call 732-745-3100 to make an appointment (from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.). Appointments will only be made the day prior to a testing day.

If the person is not a Middlesex County resident, does not have a scheduled appointment or does not have symptoms, they will not receive testing.

Residents can visit the Middlesex County website at www.middlesexcountynj.gov/COVID-19 or contact 211 for information about the testing site, as well as call the Middlesex County Office of Health Services at 732-745-3100.

Residents who have questions about COVID-19 they can call 211 or the 24-hour public hotline at 800-962-1252 or 800-222-1222, or text NJCOVID to 898-211. They can also text a ZIP code to 898-211 for live text assistance.

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LONG ISLAND, NY — As Gov. Andrew Cuomo continued Wednesday to unveil a new plan to “reimagine” learning with a focus on virtual learning and technology, teachers fired back.

Cuomo said during his press briefing Wednesday that there is a need to reimagine education. “We went to remote learning overnight. We had to do it, we implemented it. God bless the teachers and parents who had to figure out how to use technology and Zoom.”

The governor was echoing an announcement made Tuesday that he would be working with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to “reimagine education” and explore new ways to incorporate technology for teaching and learning.

The state, he said, will work with the Gates Foundation to “convene experts and develop a blueprint to reimagine education in the new normal.”

With the onset of coronavirus, “we did remote learning,” Cuomo said. “Frankly, we weren’t prepared, but we did what we had to do. Teachers and the educational system did a great job —but there is more that we can do.”

To that end, Cuomo said there were questions to be considered, such as how technology could be used to provide additional opportunities to students, “no matter where they are.”

Other questions to be weighed, Cuomo said, include how the state could provide shared education among schools and colleges using technology; how technology could reduce “educational inequality,” including English as a new language students; how technology can be used to meet educational needs of students with disabilities; how educators can be provided with more tools to use technology; how technology can break down barriers to K to 12, college and universities and provide greater access no matter where a student lives — and how, given ongoing social distancing protocols, “we can deploy classroom technology, like immersive cloud virtual classroom learning, to recreate larger class or lecture hall environments in different locations.

“We have a moment in history where we can incorporate and advance ideas,” Cuomo said. “I think this is one of those moments. Let’s think about revolutionizing education.”

The state will bring together a group of leaders to answer the questions in collaboration with the Gates Foundation, who will support New York State by helping bring together national and international experts, as well as provide expert advice as needed, Cuomo said.

“The old model of our education system where everyone sits in a classroom is not going to work in the new normal”

“The last few months have been an incredibly stressful time full of change, but we have to learn and grow from this situation and make sure we build our systems back better than they were before,” Cuomo said. “One of the areas we can really learn from is education because the old model of our education system where everyone sits in a classroom is not going to work in the new normal. When we do reopen our schools let’s reimagine them for the future, and to do that we are collaborating with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and exploring smart, innovative education alternatives using all the new technology we have at our disposal.”

Educators fired back: New York State United Teachers President Andy Pallotta released a statement regarding the governor’s comments about reimagining education in New York:

“NYSUT believes in the education of the whole child,” he said. “Remote learning, in any form, will never replace the important personal connection between teachers and their students that is built in the classroom and is a critical part of the teaching and learning process — which is why we’ve seen educators work so hard during this pandemic to maintain those connections through video chats, phone calls and socially distant in-person meetings.”

He added: “If we want to reimagine education, let’s start with addressing the need for social workers, mental health counselors, school nurses, enriching arts courses, advanced courses and smaller class sizes in school districts across the state. Let’s secure the federal funding and new state revenues through taxes on the ultra-wealthy that can go toward addressing these needs. And let’s recognize educators as the experts they are by including them in these discussions about improving our public education system for every student.”

Many teachers blasted Cuomo’s idea and spoke strongly about the need for educators and in-classroom learning not just across the board, but especially for students with special needs or those who may be coming from abusive homes or families with food insecurity — for those students, many said, school is much more than just learning; it is a haven.

ELMONT, NY — The New York Racing Association announced Tuesday that the 152nd Belmont Stakes will be run on Saturday, June 20 — making it the first race in the Triple Crown for the first time. The race will be broadcast; no spectators will be allowed at the racetrack.

The new date is a few weeks later when the race is usually run. Last year, it happened June 8. This year, due to the coronavirus outbreak, the other major races in the Triple Crown — The Kentucky Derby and The Preakness Stakes — are happening later in the year, making Belmont the first race in the series. Historically, the race is the final in the series.

“The Belmont Stakes is a New York institution that will provide world-class entertainment for sports fans during these challenging times,” said NYRA President and CEO Dave O’Rourke. “While this will certainly be a unique running of this historic race, we are grateful to be able to hold the Belmont Stakes in 2020.”

The race will be broadcast on NBC and will include three hours of live coverage from the race grounds.

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The race will also be shorter than usual. The Belmont Stakes is usually 1 1/2 miles. This year’s race will be 1 1/8 miles.

What a sweet moment. #MizandMrs @mikethemiz @marysemizanin pic.twitter.com/NmymB32yO0
— WWE (@WWE) April 17, 2019