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New Delhi:New research is being initiated in various parts of the world to study the SARS-CoV-2 virus, that has so far killed 287,529 people and infected over 4,269,704 globally.

Here are some of the latest findings on the virus from teams across the world.

Scientists have found a bat coronavirus that is similar to the SARS-CoV-2. This finding can help understand how coronaviruses evolve naturally.

While researchers consider bats the most likely natural hosts for SARS-CoV-2, origin of the virus is still unclear.

In a study published in the Current Biology, researchers have described a recently identified bat coronavirus that has some regions of the genome similar to the SARS-CoV-2.

While the coronavirus, named RmYN02, is not a direct evolutionary precursor of SARS-CoV-2, the findings suggest that the seemingly unusual insertion of new genetic traits can occur naturally in coronavirus evolution.

Researchers also said that the study provides strong evidence against SARS-CoV-2 being a genetically-manipulated virus leaked from a laboratory.

The researchers identified RmYN02 from an analysis of 227 bat samples collected in Yunnan province of China, between May and October of 2019. RNA from the samples was sent for metagenomic next-generation sequencing in early January 2020, soon after the discovery of SARS-CoV-2.

A close genetic relative of SARS-CoV-2 is another virus, called RaTG13, which was previously identified on bats in the Yunnan province. However, RmYN02 is even more closely related to SARS-CoV-2 in some parts of the genome.

The researchers have noted that RmYN02 is not likely to infect human cells, as the region of the genome that helps the SAR-CoV-2 to bind with human cells is not similar.

Also read: Delhi HC says can challenge extended Covid quarantine, but asks people not to rush to courts

Scientists from the University of Kentucky in the US have launched a clinical trial to investigate the effectiveness of azithromycin, ivermectin and camostat mesylate in fighting SARS-CoV-2.

The three drugs will be tested either as stand-alone therapies or in combination with the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine.

The team plans to scale up a larger clinical trial with the most promising therapies after data on this experiment is collected.

The trial will be conducted among patients who have not developed severe symptoms that would require progression to ICU care. Patients must also have at least one high-risk feature, including hypertension, diabetes, cancer, lung disease, have an underlying heart condition, or be over the age of 50.

Participants who enroll in the trial will be randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups: one group will receive hydroxychloroquine alone; a second group will receive hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin; a third group will receive hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin; and a fourth group will receive camostat mesylate.

Hydroxychloroquine is an antimalarial drug, while azithromycin is an antibiotic. Ivermectin is a medication used to treat many types of parasite infestations and camostat mesylate is used to treat pancreatitis.

An observational study of 48 children, teenagers and young adults in the US and Canada has shown that they can suffer from severe complications due to Covid-19, contrary to the earlier belief that younger populations were usually asymptomatic.

The study, published in the JAMA Pediatrics, is the first to describe the characteristics of seriously-ill pediatric Covid-19 patients in North America.

The study followed 48 patients from newborns to 21 years old who were admitted to pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) in the US and Canada for Covid-19 in March and April. A number of PICUs in the US were repurposed to the care of critically-ill adult patients with Covid-19.

Over 80 per cent had chronic underlying conditions, such as immune suppression, obesity, diabetes, seizures or chronic lung disease. Of these, 40 per cent depended on technological support due to developmental delays or genetic anomalies.

More than 20 per cent experienced failure of two or more organ systems due to Covid-19, and nearly 40 per cent required a breathing tube and ventilator. At the end of the follow-up period, nearly 33 per cent of the children were still hospitalised due to Covid-19, with three still requiring ventilator support and one on life support. Two of the children admitted during the three-week study period died.

The study provides a baseline understanding of the early disease burden of Covid-19 in pediatric patients, the researchers have said.

Also read: Air travel is gradually returning, but coronavirus complications remain

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and social distancing norms may be an added stress factor for pregnant women that can have a direct, lifelong effect on an unborn childs mental health, a study has found.

Published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, researchers in the study have identified prenatal stress factors experienced by pregnant women.

As much as there is anxiety during pregnancy in normal times, the on-going pandemic is an added stress factor asking expectant mothers to adapt to social distancing norms, the researchers have said.

The findings underscore the importance of providing interventions to reduce maternal depression, anxiety, or stress in the prenatal period.

Patients with Covid-19 can develop bowel abnormalities, including ischemia a condition in which blood flow gets reduced according to a new study published in Radiology.

Reports have documented that gastrointestinal symptoms, liver injury and vascular findings are common in Covid-19 patients. However, abdominal imaging findings have not yet been widely reported.

For this study, researchers included 412 patients consecutively admitted to a single quaternary care centre, from 27 March to 10 April, who tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2.

The patients included 241 men (58.5 per cent) and 171 women (41.5 per cent), with an average age of 57 years. The team found that 17 patients had cross-sectional abdominal imaging, including 44 ultrasounds, 42 CT scans, and 1 MRI.

Bowel abnormalities were seen on 31 per cent of CT scans (3.2 per cent of all patients) and were more frequent in intensive care unit (ICU) patients than other in-patients.

Abnormalities included thickening of the bowel, as well as pneumatosis (gas in the bowel wall). Surgery in four patients revealed unusual yellow discoloration of bowel in three of the patients, and dead bowel in two patients.

The abnormalities were more common in sicker Covid-19 patients who went to the ICU.

Also read: Finding more plasma donors for Covid therapy isnt just science, its a demand-supply chain

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Scientists identify new bat coronavirus that sheds light on how SARS-CoV-2 evolved - ThePrint

2 Athletes In Same North Texas Family Better Than 1Tamia Jones who plays basketball at The Colony High School is seen her plans altered because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Having an older brother who is an athlete is helping her prepare.

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Warm, Humid WednesdayDon't put away those umbrellas yet. More rain is expected Wednesday night.

'I'm Going To Fight For It, I Deserve It' - Dallas ISD Students Want In-Person GraduationDallas ISD is sticking with a virtual graduation online for safety during the coronavirus pandemic.

Dallas Mayor Announces New COVID-19 Healthcare Access CzarMayor Eric Johnson said he wants to see a lot more testing, too.

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6-Year-Old Dallas Boy Found Tied In Shed Describes Abuse: Sprayed With Hose, Kicked, Not Allowed In HouseThe child told child abuse detectives during a forensic interview, whenever his grandmother left the home, she put him in the shed, tied him up and told him he was bad.

North Texas Nail Salons Struggling To Get Workers To Come Back During Coronavirus Pandemic"For their safety, we respect their decisions, salon manager Jake Nguyen. "Some of them are not fully back yet."

New Concern For Parents Regarding COVID-19Some children around the country have fallen ill with an inflammatory syndrome resembling Kawasaki disease. Now doctors are searching for the connection between the syndrome and Covid-19.

The Reopening Of TexasCBS 11 details the next steps, the extreme measures businesses are taking, and your rights as a customer on a special edition of CBS 11 News Wednesday at 6PM on CBS 11 News.

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Despite Pushback, Dallas ISD Sticking With Virtual GraduationsAlthough Dallas ISD Superintendent Dr. Michael Hinojosa said he had reconsidered the plans for graduation, he said the district will stick to virtual ceremonies per advice from health officials.

Experts Believe Less People Are Reporting Child Abuse CasesChild advocates are sounding an alarm as concerns grow about an unprecedented drop in child abuse reports.

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Gov. Abbott Talks Shelley Luther Case, Further Plans For Reopening TexasGov. Greg Abbott joined CBS 11 News at 5 p.m. to talk about the recent case surrounding Dallas salon owner Shelley Luther and further plans for reopening more businesses in Texas.

Now Hiring: Dallas County Community College District Offering Free Job Skills ProgramsUnemployment numbers are staggering and economic experts say the trend will continue before the coronavirus pandemic is over.

Stimulus Check Deadline: You Have Until Wednesday To Give The IRS Your Bank InformationAfter Wednesday, the IRS will send millions of files to the Bureau of Fiscal Services to have paper checks printed.

Residents Honor Health Care Workers In Flower MoundResidents honored health care workers at Texas Health Presbyterian in Flower Mound as they continue the fight against COVID-19.

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Dallas ISD Students Start Petition To Apply Pressure For In-Person Graduations"Ive worked for for years and every other district seems to be able to come up with something, but theyre putting us online," said senior Aubrey Tierney.

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Tarrant County COVID-19 Testing Sites Set Up But Not Filling UpThe county has loosened up qualifications, trying to get more people tested.

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Ones For Wellness: Managing Stress During The PandemicIn today's Ones For Wellness, here's a way to manage any stress you may have due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Police Find 6-Year-Old Boy Tied Up In Shed, Grandmother And Boyfriend Arrested - CBS Dallas / Fort Worth

BEFORE: The footprint and overall volume of the original building has been maintained, and the existing concrete portal frame was left visible to become an important part of the homes interior.

AFTER: Timber used for the exterior cladding was cut from trees felled from the clients own land, which he blackened using a blowtorch, after scouring YouTube videos for instruction. Timbers were laid vertically and of similar proportion and rhythm to that of the original building.

Approaching the house from the north, the simple, bold openings of the elevations are evocative of the original building with its giant barn doors. Entry is now from the side through a small porch recess, a last glance of the landscape visible through a corner window, then onto the polished concrete floor. The footprint and overall volume of the original building was maintained, and we chose a restrained palette of materials to leave the interior as natural as possible, says Jane.

The scale of the barn is revealed in the main studio and open-plan kitchen. The lowered ceiling height in the adjoining dining area is intimate yet expansive, opening onto the garden and landscape beyond.

The dining area, situated in a space with a low ceiling, provides a more intimate experience. Plus, the stunning view to the land is a worthy way to dine.

A nook adjacent to the kitchen acts as an informal eating area, and looks back toward the entrance through a corner window. The concrete portal frame is a feature throughout, seen at different scales as one moves through the building.

With two spacious studios created in the design, the owner is able to produce work at home.

Because the client has a love for open spaces, the studio made sure to focus on the proportion of the rooms. The dramatic scale of the former shed is fully revealed in the entrance hall, main studio, and open-plan, oak-faced plywood kitchen. The lowered ceiling height in the adjoining dining area is intimate yet expansive, opening onto the garden and landscape beyond, while the living room benefits from a large picture window and high ceilings. Every part of the buildings volume has been fully utilized: Even the pockets of space around the edges of the sloping roof at first-floor level, with their reduced ceiling heights, have been incorporated, providing spaces for storage as well as playing hide-and-seek, says Jane.

The former single-level shed now has a second story with warm, solid oak floors and stairwell linings. Waking up to enjoy the views of the countryside was a prime consideration: a low-level window in the master bedroom is positioned for taking in the landscape while reclining in bed.

The restrained palette of materials keeps things as natural as possible, from the polished concrete floors to the single-color mosaic tiles in the bathrooms.

The stairwell is lined with oak, a warm moment to carry you up the steps.

Passive design principles were applied to the design of the home. A heat pump provides underfloor heating and hot water to the house, supplemented by two wood stoves.

The simple structure has been subdivided into two floors of both single and double-height roomsthe bedrooms are on the second floor.

Read more:
This Tractor Shed in Southeast England Was Converted Into a Spacious Home - Architectural Digest

It was 1986, a dark time for Mormon historians.

Just months earlier, infamous document collector Mark Hofmann had forged his way into the market for historical pieces relating to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints even fooling church President Spencer W. Kimball and future President Gordon B. Hinckley, with his supposedly fabulous finds and then killing two innocent members to cover his double-dealing and deceit.

There was also serious mistrust of professional historians among top church leaders, some of whom saw even faithful scholars leaning toward naturalistic explanations of the sacred past.

Thats when a 29-year-old attorney in his first year out of law school, Richard E. Turley Jr., stepped into the role as managing director of the churchs History Department, overseeing its vast holdings.

Most recently, he served as managing director of the faiths Public Affairs Department.

At the end of March, Turley retired and, despite the wishes of endless associates eager to celebrate his decades of work, his signing-off party had to be canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Still, Turley received a copy of a laudatory video that would have been shared at the retirement gala as well as scores of accolades from friends, colleagues and admirers.

Ricks prudent judgment, encyclopedic knowledge of church history, and good humor have given him a unique capacity to serve the church in many ways for over 30 years, apostle Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the churchs governing First Presidency, tells The Salt Lake Tribune. We were blessed to lure him away from his legal employment. It has been an absolute pleasure to have him as a colleague and a close friend.

In the retirement video, Marlin K. Jensen, an emeritus general authority who served as official church historian and recorder from 2005 to 2012, called Turley a polymath, who knew "a lot about a lot of things[with] wide knowledge and learning. He never read anything he forgot and could discourse across any field.

When the story of Latter-day Saint history is written, Jensen says, the name of Richard E. Turley Jr. will be writ very large.

Steven E. Snow, the general authority who replaced Jensen, says in the video that his predecessor had simple advice for him.

There are five words you have to remember, Jensen told Snow. Rick, what do you think?

Snow, who retired himself in 2019, came to share Jensens view of Turleys indispensability, he says. Rick has such a calming presence and his discipline and leadership helped frame all the departments work, especially the monumental "Joseph Smith Papers project.

Nobody in the future can write about our history, Snow says, without referring to that project dubbed the lunar landing of Mormon history on which so much else is built.

Longtime friend Curt Bench, owner of Benchmark Books in South Salt Lake, notes what he says is Turleys astounding volume of work.

Bench, a fellow bibliophile, once asked the historian how he was able to research and write so much in addition to the many other duties he had.

Turleys grin-enshrouded reply: I don't sleep.

After graduating from law school in 1985, he went to work in the Salt Lake City office of a Chicago-based law firm, so he could spend his lunch hours at the nearby church archives.

In late December that year, Turley got a call from Oaks, who invited him to lunch, the retiring historian recounts. The two dined at the Church Office Buildings cafeteria, where the apostle, who the year before had left as a Utah Supreme Court justice for the lifetime church appointment, grilled him about his education and interest in the churchs past, saying nothing about the opening in the History Department after the recent retirement of its managing director.

Days later, Oaks called again and asked Turley if he would speak to apostle Boyd K. Packer, who had strong opinions about history. At the end of that exchange, Packer quipped, If you never hear from us again, dont be surprised.

Next came a call from general authority Dean Larsen, then the churchs official historian, who told the young lawyer of the opening and asked if he would be interested.

I was floored, recalls Turley, having no idea he had been interviewing for the job.

Twenty-four hours later, the accidental historian accepted the position telling his wife that, by abandoning his legal career, they would never be rich.

After it was settled, Turley got a call from Hinckley, then the first counselor in the governing First Presidency and an avid history buff, who asked, Why would a young man like you give up everything you are looking forward to to come work for the church?

Easy, he told the future church president. It was his passion.

Not long after that, according to the retirement video, a group of professional historians came to the new director and laid out a list of complaints about him.

He listened to their litany and then replied, You are absolutely right, I am not qualified, but they gave me the job, which means I am going to need your help in order for me to do it right and do it well.

Those early critics eventually became among his closest allies and Turley their professional equal.

All the while, Turley transformed the department into one of the best private collections in the country as well as opening members minds about the complexities of Mormon history.

People had a sort of a perception of church history based on what they had learned in their seminary class or in their Sunday school class, Turley says on the podcast. And the realities of church history are more textured than that, more nuanced than that.

And one of his first challenges was to tackle the Hofmann forgeries and how Latter-day Saint leaders had been so tricked.

Unlimited access and governing principles

To fully explore the faiths involvement with the murderer, Turley needed access to private journals including Oaks and Hinckleys and all relevant church documents.

He also needed church leaders to sign off on his guiding principles: that he would go where the facts led him and have final editorial control.

Turleys final product on the Hofmann bombings was not the full story there were several other volumes that delved into various aspects and views of it but it was an evenhanded account of how the church perceived the man and their dealings with him.

I was one he interviewed for the book, Bench recalls, and I found him to be very professional, concerned, fair and accurate.

As it turned out, his 1992 book Victims was excellent, she says. It dealt with a major scandal in a straightforward way.

I have been impressed equally by his commitment to digitization of records in the Mountain Meadows work that he undertook, Gordon says. His respect for scholars and scholarship shows in all Rick does, and I found his energy and seriousness were matched by his good humor and patience on a bus tour to Mountain Meadows.

That tour, she says, set a standard for in-depth engagement and on a wrenching, terrible topic.

The worst incident in church history

The heinous events of Sept. 11, 1857 during which a group of Mormons slaughtered 120 Arkansas emigrants crossing through southern Utah, including men, women and children have been the subject of multiple books and documentaries.

Turley wanted to tackle it because it was, he says in the podcast, the worst incident in church history. But he couldnt and wouldnt do it without total access to all church documents.

That resulted, he says, in a high-level, high-stakes meeting, led by Hinckley, by then the churchs president, in which he spelled out Turleys requests for complete candor and access. Hinckley then went around the room and asked each man how he felt about it.

All eyes were on apostle David B Haight, who was the grandnephew of Isaac Haight, one of the principal participants in the massacre.

Haight said, Turley recalls, When I was a child, my mother told me never to talk about that subject. But I think we ought to face our history.

So he, like all the apostles, voted yes.

The historian then examined the details in the full light of day and in every particular, Turley says. What I saw was terrible.

But he insisted his account of it needed to be without fear or favor.

Our feeling was we couldn't change the past, he says, but we were responsible with how we dealt with the past.

With that book, says Richard Bushman, emeritus history professor at Columbia University, Turley proved that the church is willing to face up to its own darkest hour with an unflinching gaze.

The scholar points to Turleys efforts to launch a real and readable look at the faiths history in the ambitious four-volume work Saints the first two of which have been published.

Rick had a vision of a history, Bushman says, that was rigorous, accurate and accessible to members of the church everywhere and at every level.

No one was more surprised than Turley when he was plucked in 2016 from the History Department to manage the churchs media efforts.

The historian brought his knowledge of the past, with its complexities and twists, into navigating the present.

Rick has eased a lot of tensions for segments of the church who usually feel disenfranchised, Stokes says. Its the best thing that has happened to church operations in a long time.

In that regard, Turley says, one of the highlights of his time in public affairs was 2018s Be One event, sponsored by the First Presidency in the Conference Center, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the 1978 end of the so-called priesthood ban for black members.

One assignment he really enjoyed, he says, was traveling around the world, both with church leaders and on my own, visiting the various areas of the church.

His department created a series of local record systems around the world to document what has been happening as the church builds up in various areas, he says, and then, through the marvels of digital preservation, we've been able to take digital images and share those globally with other people.

Bench, his book-loving buddy, says Turley has loved more than just collecting records.

He has never met an exotic dish he wasn't willing to at least try, including alligator, snake and other unusual delicacies of almost every animal part you can think of, the bookseller says. He told me he only got sick once.

Now that Turley is retired, he is back to writing books.

And whats on the menu? History, of course.

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How an accidental historian won over critics and shed light on two of Mormonism's darkest hours - Salt Lake Tribune

Scientists are beginning to examine how self-efficacy, or confidence in ones abilities, is related to sexual outcomes in women. A new study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior suggests that it could play an important role in experiencing orgasms.

I am very interested in womens sexual health. I think there has traditionally been a lot of focus on risk in the context of sexual health research. This is important, but somewhat limiting as reducing risk is only one component of a healthy sex life, explained study author Julia C. Bond, a doctoral candidate at Boston University.

My hope with this work was to combine some of the great research thats been happening in psychology about the development of healthy sexual self-expression with some of the risk-based outcomes that are more familiar to public health. There is a lot of work that has gone into designing interventions to reduce the risk of negative outcomes related to sexual health that sometimes dont consider individuals perceptions of their own sexuality.

Bond and her colleagues were particularly interested in a scientific survey, called the Female Sexual Subjectivity Inventory, that is used to measure womens sexual body esteem, entitlement to sexual pleasure from self, entitlement to sexual pleasure from partner, self-efficacy in achieving sexual pleasure, and sexual self-reflection.

The survey was completed by 209 female college students, who also completed questionnaires to gather information about their demographics, general sexual behaviors, and orgasm frequency. The participants also indicated if they had acquired an STI, had an unwanted pregnancy, or used emergency contraception in the previous year.

The researchers found that women with higher sexual body esteem, entitlement to sexual pleasure from both self and their partner, and self-efficacy in achieving sexual pleasure tended to report a higher likelihood of orgasming frequently compared to infrequently.

In other words, the participants tended to experience more orgasms when they agreed with statements such as I am confident that others will find me sexually desirable, It is okay for me to meet my own sexual needs through self-masturbation, I think it is important for a sexual partner to consider my sexual pleasure, and I am able to ask a partner to provide the sexual stimulation I need.

Reflecting on ones sex life, however, was not associated with orgasm frequency.

Our study was very small, so I think its best to consider this as a preliminary research step. In my mind, the take home point is that sexual self-efficacy may influence sexual health outcomes. To me this suggests that when we think about educating young people about their sexual health, we should consider how to empower them to understand and express their own sexual wants and desires, Bond told PsyPost.

The researchers also found that a large proportion of the participants had a discordant pattern, in which they reported a high entitlement to pleasure from partner but low self-efficacy in achieving sexual pleasure. These women were significantly less likely to report frequent orgasms from partnered sexual activity.

Our results suggest that a sense of entitlement to pleasure alone may not enable women to achieve consistent orgasms with a partner. Rather, women may also need to be equipped with the tools to effectively communicate what they desire, the researchers wrote in their study.

The Female Sexual Subjectivity Inventory was not related to acquiring an STI, having an unwanted pregnancy, or using emergency contraception. However, only a few participants reported experiencing one of these events, which limited the studys statistical power.

The primary caveat is the small size of the study. I think this line of research (specifically the relationship between more psychological elements of sexual health and sexual health outcomes) is worth exploring with larger samples and in more diverse populations, Bond said.

Its definitely an exciting challenge to try to combine work thats been happening across disciplines. I think there is a lot of space for productive collaborations between researchers in psychology, social work, and public health, and I hope to continue to be able to be a part of collaborative research teams.

The study, Sexual Self-Efficacy and Entitlement to Pleasure: The Association of the Female Sexual Subjectivity Inventory with Sexual Risk Taking and Experience of Orgasm, was authored by Julia C. Bond, Diane M. Morrison, and Stephen E. Hawes.

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New study sheds light on the role of self-efficacy in womens sexual outcomes - PsyPost

BEIJING - Grunts, groans and the sound of pulsing music and crashing weights have returned to some of Beijings gyms after being closed for nearly three monthsdue to the coronavirus outbreak.

With the respiratory illness under control in China, the economy has begun to open up again as authorities loosen lockdown restrictions including stay-at-home orders.

After coming back to the gym Ive been able to get my blood, my circulation going again and get my muscles flexed again, said one gym enthusiast, surnamed Lu, 38, at Mi Fitness, one of the facilities which was allowed to reopen at theend of April.

This kind of feeling is fantastic! he said, after a few sets of lateral raises.Only gyms above ground level are currently allowed to operate provided they follow rules. Temperatures are checked at the door and names and contacts are noted. Everyone must wear a mask unless they have difficulty breathing and maintain a distance of around two metres.

Mi Fitness is subject to three spot checks a day from the citys sports authorities, the local government and the buildings management. A breach of the rules may shut down the business. A thorough cleaning of equipment is carried out regularly.

The fitness studio is on the eighth floor of an office building in west Beijing. During a visit by Reuters on Friday, all those working out observed the mask rule. Some admitted it was a little uncomfortable to wear one while exercising, but 21-year-old student Peng Weichen was determined to see the positive side of things.

I treat it as a form of resistance training, Peng said. That is, resistance training with a reduced oxygen intake. Its not a big deal. Its fine. I can take it.

Several members including Pengs training partner, Xu Haozhi, said they were glad to be back in the gym because the outbreak has taken a toll on their waistlines.

If I dont get some proper exercise soon, Xu said. I will be really, really fat.

Li Chenglong, 26, a barista, said he was excited to be training again, but initially his muscles were not quite ready.

After doing various different exercises my body would really feel it for at least a couple of days, Li said. It was quite painful.

Gym co-founder Liu Mei said the re-opening came in the nick of time.

In early April after two months of no income and no certainty when Mi could re-open, Liu and her business partner considered giving up the business which only opened in 2019.

I was really panicking before...the whole sector was in a state of panic, she said. Mi Fitness is for members only and gym users sign up for classes with a personal trainer. But Liu says they are now allowing people who want to work out on their own use the facilities for a month as many other gyms nearby are still closed. That has helped bring up the number of customers which average abouta half-dozen per hour.

Although the lockdown to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus has eased, many people are still working from home or looking after their children and business is not what it used to be.

Despite these hurdles and concerns about a possible second wave of coronavirus, Liu says the fitness sector has a lot of promise.

I really hope that all of those fellow gym owners who feel that they cant stay afloat any longer, can keep going somehow because this sector does have a lot of potential, Liu said. When it comes to getting the nation fit and fighting and resisting this epidemic, I think that our sector should keep going.

China has 82,887 cases of coronavirus and the death toll stands at 4,633, according to the national health authority.

Editing by Masako Iijima and Jacqueline Wong

Read the original here:
As Beijing gyms reopen, users are masked up and ready to shed pounds - Reuters

Gov. Kay Ivey said she would yield control of federal money intended for coronavirus relief to the Legislature and said what she called a wish list from legislators shows why the public needs advance notice of how the money is spent.

The list includes 16 proposals on how the state could spend the $1.8 billion received under the CARES Act, including $200 million for a new State House and renovations to the Capitol.

To me, that is totally unacceptable and not how President Trump and Congress intended for this money to be spent, Ivey said in a statement.

A top lawmaker said it was not a wish list and that the Legislature would not spend CARES Act money on a State House.

The lists says the proposals would depend on federal guidelines for use of the money. Among other items on the list are $800 million to expand broadband access in Alabama, $100 million for state prisons, $100 million to reimburse state agencies for operations during the pandemic, and $75 million for emergency supplies related to the pandemic. Iveys office sent the list to AL.com after it was requested.

Iveys office released the statement as the House of Representatives was about to consider a bill on control of the CARES Act funding. The House took a one-hour recess and then passed the bill, which would give the governor authority to spend up to $200 million of the $1.8 billion. The rest would have to be appropriated by the Legislature in a special session. The Senate gave the bill final approval, which sends it to Ivey for her review.

In the statement released before the bill passed, Ivey referred to a conversation with House General Fund budget chairman Steve Clouse, R-Ozark. Heres the full statement:

I just got off the phone with House General Fund Chairman Steve Clouse, R-Ozark, and expressed to him my desire for the Legislature to have full control of the CARES Act appropriation, every single penny.

I made it clear to Chairman Clouse that this money belongs to the people of Alabama, not the Governor and, in my opinion, not even the Legislature. It comes to us in an emergency appropriation from President Trump and Congress to support the ongoing crisis that has killed 349 Alabamians, as of this moment, and wreaked havoc on our states economy, ruining small businesses and costing more than 430,000 Alabamians a job they had just a few weeks ago.

I have never desired to control a single penny of this money and if the Legislature feels so strongly that they should have that authority, I yield to them both the money and the responsibility to make good decisions in the light of day where the people of Alabama know what is happening.

I promised Chairman Clouse that my Administration will send over to the Legislature the receipts for items such as PPE, medical supplies, testing kits and the like; items that have been needed and procured to support our health care system including our hospitals and nursing homes. I trust the Legislature will honor these expenses.

We have heard from countless cities and counties who are suffering from the effects of this pandemic; weve heard from colleges and universities, the K-12 system and a whole host of others who had hoped this money would be made available in a timely fashion. Regretfully, because of the Legislatures decision at this last moment these groups will now have to appeal to the 140 members for help.

Finally, I advised Chairman Clouse that I will not call the Legislature back into a Special Session unless and until they provide the people of Alabama in advance a full, detailed and public list of how the money will be spent in exact amounts, down to the penny. I have already seen one wish list that includes a new $200 million statehouse for the Legislature. To me, that is totally unacceptable and not how President Trump and Congress intended for this money to be spent.

As everyone knows, we are in the middle of an international health crisis, unlike any we have ever seen. It is both fiscally responsible and absolutely essential that the Legislature be transparent on the way they intend to spend this money. In my view, it has always belonged to the people of Alabama.

We look forward to seeing their proposed budget. It is obvious the Legislature has more work to do.

Clouse said Alabamas Constitution requires the Legislature to approve spending of taxpayer dollars, including federal dollars. He said the Legislature appropriated federal stimulus money Congress sent to the state during the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009.

And its no different now," Clouse said. "Its part of our Constitution that the Legislature appropriates monies for state government.

Clouse said the $200 million allocated to the governors office is to cover immediate needs related to the COVID-19 outbreak. Clouse said the federal government has not yet fully defined how the state can use the $1.8 billion.

Clouse said he had seen the list Ivey released but said it was not a wish list from the Legislature.

Im not sure who wrote the list, Clouse said. I saw it. But there will be many more of those lists going around as far as where the money might potentially go if the feds approve for it to go there. Im not sure where that list came from. I did see it, though.

Clouse said lawmakers would have to pass legislation to spend the federal money and those bills would be subject to review by the governor. He said legislators would not use CARES Act money for a State House.

I dont think we would do that, Clouse said. I think somebody put that down because of all the circumstances were going under right now in this building. Not allowing the public in. You can see what were having go to through in the House right now of separating everybody by more than six feet. Members in the gallery and overflow rooms. This building is just not built for this type of pandemic. No, none of that money would go for a new State House.

Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh said the Legislature would follow an open process in how it allocates the CARES Act money. Marsh has advocated using $800 million for broadband access. Marsh said the shutdown of public schools during the pandemic shows the urgency of making high-speed Internet available statewide. Some communities could not offer virtual classes because of the lack of broadband.

This story was updated to say Iveys office sent the list after a request by AL.com.

Continued here:
Gov. Kay Ivey says wish list shows need to shed light on CARES Act funds - AL.com

The ex-Reds star feels interest in the prolific RB Leipzig striker is purely down to Jurgen Klopp looking to add greater depth to his squad at Anfield

Liverpool are not looking for Timo Werner to replace anyone at Anfield, says John Barnes, with Jurgen Klopp considered to be looking to bring in competition for Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.

Talk of the Reds launching a big-money raid on RB Leipzig for the prolific Germany international striker has been stepped up ahead of the next transfer window.

Werner is seen by many as the perfect fit for Klopps system, with the 24-year-old boasting both end product and willingness to work hard for the good of a collective cause.

It has, however, also been suggested that another option will be sought by Liverpool in the final third as interest is building in those already on their books.

La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona have been sniffing around Salah and Mane for some time, but Barnes is not expecting sales to be sanctioned on Merseyside.

He told BonusCodeBets of the Werner rumours: Hes not going to replace anyone.

Hes coming to be part of the squad, I dont think Klopps going to drop any of the front three for him.

Of course, I dont know if that is what may necessarily happen. If Salah, Mane or Firmino goes, we dont know, so I dont think hes coming in to replace anyone, hes coming to be part of a squad.

Pressed further on whether he could see any member of a fearsome front three moving on in 2020, former Reds midfielder Barnes added: Every player, regardless of who you are, can go at any moment.

I dont think theyre preparing for any of the front three to leave. If you can get a player of Werners quality to come in and one of the front three doesnt leave, its fine, they have a stronger squad.

I dont think theyre going to lose any of the front three, but in modern football, you can never tell.

If you get a chance to get a player who can fit into what you want, you should do it.

Article continues below

I dont think hes going to cost hundreds of millions or his salary will be that high and it wont be the case where he has to play every single game because hes going to cost 100m and hes being paid 300k a week.

This is also what hes [Klopp] looking for, players that will come and be happy to be there and not demand to play every week, theyre not superstars like a [Cristiano] Ronaldo or a [Lionel] Messi.

Werner has left the door open for a move to Liverpool to be made, as he readies himself for a new challenge, but the Reds are not the only side monitoring his situation and may face competition when the next market opens for business.

See the article here:
Liverpool not looking for Werner to replace anyone Barnes expects Salah, Mane & Firmino to stay put - Goal

Mathew Wills and Caroline Glendinning argue that COVID-19 is increasing the political cost of sticking with the social care status quo, and highlights the need for significantly higher and more sustainable funding. They explore what the sector could do to maximise the chances of achieving successful reform.

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, the government has announced 3.2bn in emergency social care funding for local government in England, and asked care providers to tackle the crisis in partnership with the NHS. Despite the crucial role played by staff and provider organisations, social care has suffered a decade of retrenchment driven by asymmetric austerity, rendering it severely underfunded. England actually faces two social care funding crises the recent devastating impacts of austerity and the longer-term arrangements needed to improve access, quality, and sustainability in response to demographic changes. Moreover, the crisis is about more than the profound inequity of older people experiencing catastrophic costs; rather, it is about ensuring quality of life for people of all ages with additional support needs.

A window of opportunity?

Austerity has broken the English approach to social care funding and highlighted the structural problems inherent in the responsibilities of central and local government. The former continues to set overall policy, requiring greater consistency over quality and eligibility, but has increasingly relied on local government to raise the resources needed for implementation. These policies are pulling in different directions and risk increasing divergence between councils in the availability of funding. Moreover, without ring-fencing revenue, local authorities also have to balance demands for increased social care spending with their other statutory responsibilities; already social care takes a very substantial proportion of their discretionary budgets (41% in 2018).

Ideally, any funding solution needs to be popular, easily implementable, and not require too much policymaker energy to deliver. Critically, it also needs to overcome the political barriers widely assumed to be associated with increases in taxation and/or national insurance contributions. Unfortunately, no sustainable funding policy approach or institution with these characteristics currently exists. All of the alternatives are technically or politically problematic, so the amount of policymaker energy and political capital needed to implement change are high. At the same time, COVID-19 has demonstrated the profound vulnerability of English social care and so is likely to raise the political cost of sticking with the status quo. This could alter the reform dynamics and open a window of opportunity for significantly higher spending today and (perhaps) more sustainable care funding for the future.

Indeed, notwithstanding the large Conservative majority in the Commons, there is agreement across all parties that England has a systemic care funding problem. Together with a political environment that could become more favourable to reform, austerity is also likely to be off the agenda post-COVID-19, making a significant expansion in care spending become more likely. The policy community should thus capitalise on this opportunity, while simultaneously addressing structural changes to how funding for care is raised and distributed.

Completing the funding jigsaw

In Germany, policymakers responded in the 1990s to a similar care funding crisis by introducing mandatory, predominantly public social care insurance. The reforms were built and implemented relatively quickly by repurposing pre-existing institutions without having to replace those already operating. The German case shows there are more equitable and sustainable ways to fund social care, but England needs its own reform approach. While the market for private social care insurance has failed and England has a strong attachment to general taxation-funded welfare, there is nevertheless an English precedent for ring-fenced welfare funding. The SERPS earnings-related pension scheme operated for more than two decades as a mandatory public national insurance/private pension fund hybrid and evolved into the successful auto-enrolment pension scheme we have today.

How can this be done for social care? Elsewhere it has been suggested that social care and the NHS should be merged. However, rather than attempting major systemic and structural changes, the policy community should focus on embedding a new funding institution (with upward momentum as wages and the economy grow) into the fabric of the existing welfare state. Funding reform will need political champions, so building on existing proposals (such as here, here, and here) are good places to start. Replacing well-established institutions with new ones carries financial cost, political risk, and requires more policymaker involvement, so reforms that repurpose existing institutions and operate in parallel with existing funding approaches may be more successful.

A number of policy options and institutional arrangements are operating now or have already been explored at length by policymakers; these could be combined to create a comprehensive package of reforms that go with the institutional grain. Scotland has had Sutherlands free universal personal care for older people in place since 2002 (extended to working age people in 2019). Although the Dilnot Committees proposal for a lifetime care spending cap was eventually dropped because councils lacked the resources needed to manage the new claims it would have generated, it nevertheless retains support among policymakers. A PAYE payroll deduction infrastructure is also in place and could process public care insurance deductions; councils already assess eligibility for publicly-funded care and manage a means-tested safety net.

Using these existing building blocks, a significant immediate increase in funding could be delivered by introducing a ring-fenced public national insurance social care fund that would make the sector more robust and ensure that resources are allocated equitably across the country. The uplift could also allow policymakers to expand provision, implement UNISONs Ethical Care Charter for all care staff, and raise the per capita fees payable to care providers. It might even be able to finance a Dilnot care cap and free personal care for all. Crucially, a ring-fenced insurance fund like this would deliver rising funding over time. Without a mechanism that automatically increases funding, the crisis may be addressed in the short-term but, as policymaker attention wanes, care underfunding could well return.

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About the Authors

Mathew Wills holds a PhD from the Department of Politics at the University of York. His thesis is available here.

Caroline Glendinning is Emerita Professor of Social Policy, University of York.

All articles posted on this blog give the views of the author(s), and not the position of LSE British Politics and Policy, nor of the London School of Economics and Political Science. Featured image: Waldemar BrandtonUnsplash.

See the article here:
COVID-19 and social care funding: A window of opportunity for reform - British Politics and Policy at LSE

Police are appealing for information after a healthcare workers car was damaged and bags were stolen while she visited a petrol station in Mapperley.

Police said that the victim was waiting to be served in the shop at the Co-op filling station on Woodborough Road when a suspect smashed her car window with a brick before stealing three bags from her vehicle.

The incident happened at around 5.30pm on April 22, 2020.

PC Robin Gurney, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: Wed like to speak to the man pictured in connection with an incident of theft and criminal damage at a Mapperley petrol station.

This incident was distressing for the victim and a massive inconvenience, with her car being her means of transport to work and the expense of having to replace her car window.

If you recognise the man pictured or think you can help please call Nottinghamshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 597 of 22 April 2020, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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CCTV appeal after healthcare workers car window is smashed and bags are stolen at petrol station in Mapperley - Gedling Eye