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7 Helpful Tips for Quitting Alcohol

Kathryn R. Bown
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7 Helpful Tips for Quitting Alcohol

Drinking alcohol with your friends is like a rite of passage. Unfortunately, this rite of passage can become toxic, lead to many health problems depending on how often someone drinks and the quantity of alcohol consumed, and it can create many other problems in your life. Not everyone is addicted to alcohol, but there are many people who are and the sooner they quit drinking, the better. If you’re considering hanging up your drinking shoes, here are seven helpful tips for quitting alcohol.

Consider rehab and AA.

Depending on how much a person drinks, quitting cold turkey can be dangerous and even life-threatening as alcohol withdrawals can be lethal. Many people consider rehab as it gives them a setting and support system for quitting, not to mention people in rehab are monitored around the clock and can detox safely.

Many alcoholics, whether they opt for rehab or not, go to Alcoholics Anonymous because it’s a support system in which people can relate to one another and the members encourage each other to stay sober. AA allows people to talk through their problems and get to the root of why they abused alcohol in the past.

Another option is therapy. If considering this option, we encourage people to visit withtherapy.com as WithTherapy “is a matchmaker that uses science to pair you with a personalized shortlist of therapists.” Therapy can give you a space to talk about your thoughts, feelings, and problems, but unlike AA, it takes place in a personal setting, with just you and your therapist.

Write down why you want to quit and what drinking is costing you.

Similar to creating goals, writing down why you want to quit and what drinking is costing you can help you realize the harms of drinking and all the benefits of staying sober. Like a goals list, you should constantly monitor your why so it stays fresh in your brain. While creating this list, you’ll get a better and more realistic idea of why drinking is detrimental to your life. This list isn’t meant to shame you—it’s meant to make you see more clearly.

Tell your loved ones about your decision.

Telling your friends and family members about your decision can help you create a support system as well as take the peer pressure of drinking off you. They’ll also see how important this decision is for you and that you’re trying to better your life.

Build a strong support team.

On that note, building a strong support team is essential when trying to quit alcohol because there are going to be times when all you want to do is drink. You’ll try to reason with yourself that you’re only going to have one beer or glass of wine, but, unfortunately, willpower is tougher to achieve when you have an addiction.

A support team will cheer you on and help you reach sobriety. Whether it be AA or your loved ones or both, creating a strong support team can help you quit alcohol.

Photo Credit: Noah Silliman from Unsplash

Steer clear of bars and places you used to drink.

You might be able to go to bars someday and not drink, but when your sobriety journey is fresh, it’s best to stay away from all temptations. This can include bars or restaurants. Don’t keep alcohol in your home when you’re trying to quit. Many alcoholics will only go to places where alcohol is present—you should take the opposite approach, within reason, and steer clear of places that serve alcohol or prioritize it.

Replace drinking with new activities.

Replacing drinking with new activities, such as hiking, going to the movies, reading, or sports, allows you to get your mind off drinking while enjoying something you like. The key, of course, is finding a new activity or hobby that you enjoy. Some people even replace drinking with eating or indulging in desserts, which is perfectly fine as long as you don’t create a new problem.

Don’t give up or beat yourself up if you slip.

Sobriety isn’t a clear and straight path. Some people go off the trail while others are strong enough to eventually have one beer at a time. Everyone’s journey is different, although if you’re an alcoholic and have problems, it’s probably best to stay away from alcohol. If you do slip, don’t beat yourself up. Acknowledge you slipped, get help from your support team, and continue on with your sobriety. Life and people aren’t meant to be perfect.

If you decide to seek therapy or other forms of professional health, we encourage you to choose Cheap health insurance options that support these medical benefits. You can compare health insurance with iSelect and ensure you’re covered and receive quality care.

Germany Shooting: Racist Gunman Kills Nine People in Hanau

Diane A. Wade
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Germany Shooting: Racist Gunman Kills Nine People in Hanau
Image source: Facebook

A gunman shot dead nine people “of migrant background” at two shisha bars Hanau, Germany, on February 19.

The suspect and his mother were later found dead in his flat.

Germany’s federal prosecutor Peter Frank said material the suspect Tobias R had posted online showed a “deeply racist mindset”.

Tobias R, 43, had also been influenced by conspiracy theories, Peter Frank said.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said there were many signs Tobias R had acted out of racism.

Speaking in Berlin, the chancellor said: “Racism is a poison. Hate is a poison and this poison exists in our society and is already to blame for many crimes.”

Turkey says at least five of the dead were Turkish citizens. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he expected Germany to “throw light on all aspects” of the attack.

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According to the prosecutor, the investigation into the deadly gun attack in Hanau is focusing on whether others knew about or helped organize it.

Peter Frank said six people had also been injured in the attack, one of them seriously.

Shortly after the attacks the suspect and his 72-year-old mother were found in his apartment, both also shot. A gun was found next to the suspect’s body.

The prosecutor said investigators wanted to establish any links the suspect may have had in Germany or potentially also abroad.

The shootings took place around 22:00 on February 19, and the first target was the Midnight shisha bar in the city centre of Hanau. Witnesses reported hearing about a dozen gunshots.

The suspect then traveled by car to the Kesselstadt neighborhood, some 1.5 miles away, and opened fire at the Arena Bar & Cafe.

Shisha bars are places where people gather to smoke a pipe known as shisha or hookah. Traditionally found in Middle Eastern and Asian countries, they are also popular in many other parts of the world.

The shootings sparked a manhunt. Police identified the gunman through information from witnesses and surveillance cameras. On February 20, they stormed the suspect’s home, near the scene of the second shooting.

Hanau, in Hesse state, is a city of 100,000 residents about 15 miles east of Frankfurt.

The victims included German citizens and foreigners aged between 21 and 44, Germany’s federal prosecutor said.

Among the dead were “several victims of Kurdish origin”, the Kon-Med association of Kurds in Germany said. It said it was “furious” that authorities were not doing more to fight extremism.

Tobias R had posted videos and a kind of manifesto on his website, Peter Frank said.

In the manifesto he wrote that people from more than 20 countries including Turkey and Israel should be “destroyed”, AFP reported.

In her statement, Chancellor Merkel said there were “many indications at the moment that the perpetrator acted on right-wing extremist, racist motives, out of hatred towards people of other origins, religion or appearance”.

Hesse state Interior Minister Peter Beuth said the suspect had not previously been known to the authorities.

The Bild tabloid reports the suspect had a firearms license, and that ammunition and gun magazines were found in his car.

Gun laws in Germany are among the most stringent in the world, and were tightened further in recent years after other mass shootings.

Larry Tesler: Cut, Copy and Paste Inventor Dies Aged 74

Nancy Clayson
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Larry Tesler: Cut, Copy and Paste Inventor Dies Aged 74
Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Silicon Valley icon and Cut, Copy and Paste inventor Larry Tesler has died at the age of 74.

Larry Tesler started working in Silicon Valley in the early 1960s, at a time when computers were inaccessible to the vast majority of people.

It was thanks to Tesler’s innovations – which included the “cut”, “copy” and “paste” commands – that the personal computer became simple to learn and use.

Xerox, where Larry Tesler spent part of his career, paid tribute to him.

The company tweeted: “The inventor of cut/copy & paste, find & replace, and more, was former Xerox researcher Larry Tesler.

“Your workday is easier thanks to his revolutionary ideas.”

Larry Tesler was born in the Bronx, New York, in 1945, and studied at Stanford University in California.

After graduating, he specialized in user interface design – that is, making computer systems more user-friendly.

Larry Tesler worked for a number of major tech firms during his long career. He started at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (Parc), before Steve Jobs poached him for Apple, where he spent 17 years and rose to chief scientist.

After leaving Apple, Larry Tesler set up an education start-up, and worked for brief periods at Amazon and Yahoo.

Possibly his most famous innovation, the cut and paste command, was reportedly based on the old method of editing in which people would physically cut portions of printed text and glue them elsewhere.

The command was incorporated in Apple’s software on the Lisa computer in 1983, and the original Macintosh that was released the following year.

One of Larry Tesler’s firmest beliefs was that computer systems should stop using “modes”, which were common in software design at the time.

Modes allow users to switch between functions on software and apps but make computers both time-consuming and complicated.

So strong was this belief that Larry Tesler’s website was called “nomodes.com”, his Twitter handle was “@nomodes”, and even his car’s registration plate was “No Modes”.

Lesotho: PM Thomas Thabane to Be Charged with Murdering His Estranged Wife

Diane A. Wade
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0
Lesotho: PM Thomas Thabane to Be Charged with Murdering His Estranged Wife
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama with The Right Honorable Motsoahae Thomas Thabane, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Lesotho (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

The prime minister of Lesotho, Thomas Thabane, is to be charged with the murder of his estranged wife Lipolelo Thabane, police announced.

The 80-year-old announced he would be stepping down in July because of old age, without commenting about the case.

Thomas Thabane’s current wife, Maesaiah, has already been charged with the murder.

The prime minister would be the first leader in southern Africa to be charged with murder while in office, in a case that has shocked the tiny mountain kingdom.

Lipolelo Thabane, 58, was shot dead two days before her husband became prime minister in 2017.

At the time, Thomas Thabane described his wife’s killing as “senseless” but police now accuse him of being involved in her killing.

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Deputy Commissioner of Police Paseka Mokete was quoted by Reuters as saying: “The prime minister is going to be charged with the murder.

“The police are preparing directives and he will probably be charged tomorrow [February 21].”

Thomas Thabane said on state radio that he had served the nation “diligently” and he would retire at the end of July, Reuters reports.

He was quoted as saying: “I’ve worked for a peaceful and stable Lesotho. Today… at my age, I have lost most of my energy.”

The ruling All Basotho Convention had given Thomas Thabane a deadline of February 20 to resign.

Lipolelo Thabane was gunned down at close range on the side of a dirt road while returning to her home in a small village on the outskirts of the capital, Maseru.

She was involved in bitter divorce proceedings with Thomas Thabane when she was killed.

At the time, the prime minister was living with Maesaiah, 42, as if she were his wife.

However, Lipolelo Thabane had already won a separate legal battle to be recognized as first lady, as opposed to Maesaiah.

Maesaiah Thabane accompanied the prime minister to his inauguration, following his estranged wife’s death.

Two months later Maesaiah and Thomas Thabane got married in a Catholic ceremony held at a packed stadium in Maseru.

Maesaiah Thabane was charged with her rival’s murder on February 5, and is out on bail of about $67.

The prime minister’s current wife has also been charged with the attempted murder of a family friend Thato Sibolla, who was with Lipolelo Thabane at the time of the shooting and is expected to be a key witness in the murder case.

Maesaiah  Thabane has not yet been asked to enter a plea.

Coronavirus: Diamond Princess Passengers Leave Cruise Ship

Kathryn R. Bown
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0
Coronavirus: Diamond Princess Passengers Leave Cruise Ship
Image source: Wikipedia

Passengers who tested negative for the new coronavirus on the Diamond Princess cruise ship have begun leaving the quarantined vessel in Japan amid heavy criticism over the country’s handling of the outbreak.

According to a Japanese health expert who visited the cruise ship at the port in Yokohama, the situation on board was “completely chaotic”.

US officials said moves to contain the coronavirus “may not have been sufficient”.

Passengers have described the difficult quarantine situation on the cruise ship.

According to recent reports, at least 542 passengers and crew on the Diamond Princess have so far been infected by the Covid-19 virus – the biggest cluster outside mainland China.

The Diamond Princess was carrying 3,700 people in total.

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Meanwhile, several nations have evacuated their citizens from the vessel as the number of confirmed cases continues to rise.

On January 16, hundreds of American passengers were removed and placed in quarantine.

The US, the UK, Canada and Australia will place all those released from the Diamond Princess in another 14 days’ quarantine when they return home.

However, several experts have questioned the effectiveness of the quarantine measures on the Diamond Princess.

Japan’s Kentaro Iwata, professor at the infectious diseases division of Kobe University, described the situation on board as “completely inadequate in terms of infection control”.

After visiting the ship, Prof. Kentaro Iwata posted a video to YouTube stating that the quarantine measures he witnessed failed to separate the infected from the healthy.

The professor reported:

  • Passengers and crew members were moving freely between the green zone, which is supposedly infection-free, and the virus-hit red zone;
  • People were eating together and sharing living quarters;
  • A failure to wear protective clothing, including among medical staff
  • No professional infection control specialist on board.

Prof. Iwata said he was more afraid of catching the virus on board than he had been working in the field in Africa during the Ebola epidemic and in China during the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak.

Harvey Weinstein Trial: Judge Warns Defense Not to Talk to Press

Lisa.Felice
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0
Harvey Weinstein Trial: Judge Warns Defense Not to Talk to Press
Image source Wikimedia

The judge in the Harvey Weinstein trial has warned the lead defense lawyer, Donna Rotunno, not to talk to the press, after she penned an opinion piece on February 15.

Writing in Newsweek, Donna Rotunno called on jurors to “do what they know is right”.

However, Donna Rotunno told Justice James Burke the piece was not intended to address the jury directly.

The row came before the jury of seven men and five women were sent away to try to reach a verdict.

The jury has now finished the deliberations for the day, after asking for clarification of legal terms and for plans of the apartment where one of the alleged assaults took place.

Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to assaulting former production assistant Mimi (Miriam) Haleyi and raping former actress Jessica Mann.

The trial began in New York in January.

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Only two of the accusers’ cases, those of Mimi Haleyi and Jessica Mann, have led to individual criminal charges in New York, but the testimony of others is being used as supporting evidence.

Judge James Burke instructed jurors on February 18 before they retired to consider their verdict.

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As the court session opened, prosecutors asked the judge to instruct jurors to ignore the Newsweek piece as it was “100% inappropriate”.

The judge refused the prosecutors’ request, but restated a ban he imposed at the beginning of the trial on both defense and prosecution from giving media interviews.

He told Donna Rotunno: “I would caution you about the tentacles of your public relations juggernaut.”

She responded: “This is an op-ed about the jury system as a whole, about the criminal justice system as a whole.”

In the Newsweek piece, Donna Rotunno accused her opponents of trying to influence the trial.

She wrote: “The mocking of Mr. Weinstein’s walker, the unflattering courtroom-artist sketches of his body, the countless critical op-eds and biased stories, and the convenient timing of the politically-motivated charges in Los Angeles were all designed to pre-determine his guilt.”

Adding: “I implore the members of this jury to do what they know is right and was expected of them from the moment they were called upon to serve their civic duty in a court of law.”

However, Judge Burke asked the defense: “You don’t think addressing the jury in the first person isn’t problematic?”

Prosecutors have argued Harvey Weinstein was a “seasoned” predator who preyed on aspiring young actresses.

The 67-year-old’s defense team said his actions were consensual, including in one “loving” relationship. They also said prosecutors had failed to present any forensic evidence or eyewitness accounts.

Harvey Weinstein denies five charges, including rape and assault, relating to two accusers. The jury must reach unanimous verdicts on each count.

The Hollywood mogul, who never took the stand during the trial, could face life behind bars if convicted.

Once one of Hollywood’s most decorated and lauded producers, Harvey Weinstein has been accused of misconduct by more than 80 women.

However, few of the

The judge in the Harvey Weinstein trial has warned the lead defense lawyer, Donna Rotunno, not to talk to the press, after she penned an opinion piece on February 15.

Writing in Newsweek, Donna Rotunno called on jurors to “do what they know is right”.

However, Donna Rotunno told Justice James Burke the piece was not intended to address the jury directly.

The row came before the jury of seven men and five women were sent away to try to reach a verdict.

The jury has now finished the deliberations for the day, after asking for clarification of legal terms and for plans of the apartment where one of the alleged assaults took place.

Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to assaulting former production assistant Mimi (Miriam) Haleyi and raping former actress Jessica Mann.

The trial began in New York in January.

Accusations of misconduct against Harvey Weinstein by dozens of women helped drive the #MeToo movement.

Only two of the accusers’ cases, those of Mimi Haleyi and Jessica Mann, have led to individual criminal charges in New York, but the testimony of others is being used as supporting evidence.

Judge James Burke instructed jurors on February 18 before they retired to consider their verdict.

As the court session opened, prosecutors asked the judge to instruct jurors to ignore the Newsweek piece as it was “100% inappropriate”.

The judge refused the prosecutors’ request, but restated a ban he imposed at the beginning of the trial on both defense and prosecution from giving media interviews.

He told Donna Rotunno: “I would caution you about the tentacles of your public relations juggernaut.”

She responded: “This is an op-ed about the jury system as a whole, about the criminal justice system as a whole.”

In the Newsweek piece, Donna Rotunno accused her opponents of trying to influence the trial.

She wrote: “The mocking of Mr. Weinstein’s walker, the unflattering courtroom-artist sketches of his body, the countless critical op-eds and biased stories, and the convenient timing of the politically-motivated charges in Los Angeles were all designed to pre-determine his guilt.”

Adding: “I implore the members of this jury to do what they know is right and was expected of them from the moment they were called upon to serve their civic duty in a court of law.”

However, Judge Burke asked the defense: “You don’t think addressing the jury in the first person isn’t problematic?”

Prosecutors have argued Harvey Weinstein was a “seasoned” predator who preyed on aspiring young actresses.

The 67-year-old’s defense team said his actions were consensual, including in one “loving” relationship. They also said prosecutors had failed to present any forensic evidence or eyewitness accounts.

Harvey Weinstein denies five charges, including rape and assault, relating to two accusers. The jury must reach unanimous verdicts on each count.

The Hollywood mogul, who never took the stand during the trial, could face life behind bars if convicted.

Once one of Hollywood’s most decorated and lauded producers, Harvey Weinstein has been accused of misconduct by more than 80 women.

However, few of the complaints have led to criminal charges.

complaints have led to criminal charges.

Can You Sue for a Medical Misdiagnosis?

Kathryn R. Bown
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0
Can You Sue for a Medical Misdiagnosis?

When you seek the advice of a health care professional and undergo medical testing, you likely assume that the diagnosis you ultimately receive will be correct. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case, but when do you have a case for medical malpractice from a misdiagnosis, and when is it considered part of the practice of medicine?

In a general sense, while there are a lot of variables, if a doctor doesn’t make both a timely and accurate diagnosis of a harmful medical condition, you might be able to file a lawsuit for medical malpractice. It’s certainly possible in medical situations that a doctor could have made a diagnosis to the best of their ability, and even if it were wrong, it would be legal medical negligence.

The following are some things to know.

Common Misdiagnosis Situations

There are certain scenarios that can lead to a delayed diagnosis or the wrong diagnosis. Examples include:

  • Failure to screen for a disease or medical condition
  • Not referring a patient to a specialist
  • Misinterpreting lab results
  • Not consulting a patient about their symptoms
  • Not following up on the possible causes of symptoms

Misdiagnosis is one of the top reasons for patient deaths, and there are often thousands of patients in the U.S. alone each year that are misdiagnosed, or deal with delayed diagnosis or missed diagnosis.

Many patients who aren’t properly diagnosed also aren’t ever referred to anyone for a second opinion.

What Do You Have to Show?

With medicine, there is always a degree of uncertainty, which is why it’s called the “practice” of medicine. Legally doctors aren’t held responsible for all errors in diagnostics. For a patient who brings forth a malpractice suit, they would need to show three things.

First, you need to prove there was a doctor-patient relationship.

The second thing you need to show is that another doctor in a similar situation and a similar medical role or practice wouldn’t have made the same mistake your doctor made. That shows the doctor was potentially negligent if another doctor wouldn’t have missed the diagnosis in the same way.

The third thing you’ll need to prove is that the negligence of the doctor caused injury or harm to the patient.

Doctors are required to provide a duty of care to all patients, and if a doctor doesn’t meet the minimum standards, then they’ve breached that.

Conditions Commonly Misdiagnosed

Some of the most commonly misdiagnosed conditions include heart attack, cancer, asthma, diabetes, and stroke.

Other conditions misdiagnosed are stroke and chronic kidney disease.

When a person is misdiagnosed, or their diagnosis is delayed, it can increase the potential for complications, or expose them to risky treatments that aren’t necessary. It can also increase the risk of death or contribute to someone undergoing an unneeded surgery.

Was the Patient Harmed by the Misdiagnosis?

One of the main considerations to keep in mind with a medical malpractice lawsuit, whether it’s from a misdiagnosis or something similar, is that you’ll need to show some harm. If you can’t show this, it can weaken the potential for a successful lawsuit.

You need to be able to show that if a diagnosis had been made in a timely way, then the condition wouldn’t have progressed in the way that it did.

There are some rare cases in which a doctor may wrongly diagnose a person with something worse than what they have or something when they have nothing at all and you may be able to get damages for that as well if you can show it led to stress, anxiety, medical issues or unnecessary treatment.

Who Can Be Sued?

Typically if you were going to sue for a misdiagnosis, you would sue your primary doctor. In some cases, although rare, other professionals in the health care industry might be liable if their negligence played a role in the patient’s harm.

This could include any specialists, lab techs, and nurses who saw the patient.

A hospital or health care facility can’t be sued because doctors are independent contractors. Doctors aren’t employees of the hospital, so the facility can’t be held responsible if they are negligent.

If you or a loved one suffered as the result of a misdiagnosis or a delayed diagnosis, it might be worth having a conversation with a legal professional. It can be tough to prove in some instances, but if you can prove negligence led to harm you may be able to recover damages.

Trump Administration Proposes New Government Agency for Tobacco Control

Nancy Clayson
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0
Trump Administration Proposes New Government Agency for Tobacco Control

The Trump administration’s budget proposal for the new fiscal year includes a plan that would spin out the Center for Tobacco Products as a separate agency from the Food and Drug Administration, according to The Hill. Presently, the FDA regulates all tobacco products in the United States along with foods, prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications.

The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009 gave the FDA the authority to regulate tobacco products. In the years since, however, the nature of the tobacco industry was transformed by the advent of vaping products and e liquid. While the total number of tobacco products on the market once numbered in the dozens – and most of those were grandfathered by the Tobacco Control Act – there are now hundreds of vaping products on U.S. shelves being sold without approval, and the FDA needs to receive and begin processing pre-market applications for those products by May.

The FDA has repeatedly stated that it lacks the resources to promptly process pre-market applications for vaping products while handling all of its other duties.

Why Has the Trump Administration Proposed a New Tobacco Control Agency?

According to the administration’s budget proposal, the reasons for spinning out the Center for Tobacco Products into a separate agency are twofold.

  • The creators of the Tobacco Control Act didn’t envision how the tobacco industry would change in the future. Vaping is an extremely complex issue, and a separate agency would have its own budget and resources for handling that.
  • The core mission of the FDA is to regulate and ensure the safety of foods and medications. When one really thinks about it, the addition of tobacco product regulation to the FDA’s existing duties isn’t entirely logical; tobacco products don’t promote health. In the words of White House Domestic Policy Council head Joe Grogan, tobacco products have “no redeeming qualities,” and tasking the FDA with regulating those products is a “huge waste of time” for an agency created for the promotion of public health.

How Has Vaping Increased the Complexity of Tobacco Regulation?

When the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009 was signed into law by President Obama, the tobacco industry was very different from today. No one could have anticipated how the industry would change in the coming decade. The reasons for the complexity surrounding tobacco regulation in 2020 are as follows:

  • The Tobacco Control Act established a grandfather date of 2007 for existing tobacco products, allowing those products to remain on the market with a handful of changes:
    • Descriptive terms like “Light” and “Ultra-Light” were no longer allowed because those terms implied that those products were less harmful.
    • Flavored cigarettes – apart from menthol – were no longer allowed.
  • Companies couldn’t bring new tobacco products to the market without first submitting applications to the FDA proving that those products were beneficial to public health and wouldn’t encourage new nicotine uptake. Effectively, the law made it illegal to release a new combustible cigarette brand in the United States; no combustible cigarette benefits public health.
  • Vaping didn’t achieve mainstream popularity until after the signing of the Tobacco Control Act.
  • In 2016, the FDA announced that it deemed vaping products to be tobacco products and would regulate them as such under the provisions of the Tobacco Control Act.
  • No vaping product currently sold in the United States was available in 2007. Therefore, every vaping product on the market is an unapproved “new tobacco product” requiring a pre-market application.

When the Tobacco Control Act was signed into law, lawmakers expected that the FDA would receive new tobacco product applications only rarely. Instead, the agency may have to process hundreds of new product applications in 2020. It’s an enormous burden that the FDA isn’t equipped to handle.

Expert Opinions on Trump’s Tobacco Control Proposal

Some experts believe that the FDA is already doing a well enough job of regulating tobacco and vaping products and have applauded the agency’s efforts to ramp up its capabilities in advance of the May 2020 pre-market application deadline for vaping products. Recently departed FDA head Scott Gottlieb – a vocal proponent of vaping’s potential as an agent for tobacco harm reduction – stated that he found tobacco regulation an extremely productive use of his time when he was the agency’s commissioner.

Some also believe that keeping the authority to regulate tobacco products within the FDA is the right decision because the agency is theoretically insulated from outside political pressure. Creating a separate agency for tobacco regulation, those people say, gives tobacco companies a potential opportunity to meddle.

At the time of writing, no one from the vaping industry has commented about the budget proposal. The reason for the silence from the industry may be the fact that the organizational realignment wouldn’t fundamentally change anything about the way in which the government regulates the vaping industry. Pre-market applications for all vaping products will still be due by May 2020, and those applications will still be too expensive for most of the industry’s small businesses to put together. The realignment wouldn’t solve the core problem with vaping product regulations in the United States: Applying the same rules to both vaping products and tobacco products simply doesn’t make sense.

Will the Trump Administration’s Budget Proposal Pass?

The idea of creating a new government agency for tobacco product regulation is just one section of the Trump administration’s proposed $4.8 trillion budget for the upcoming fiscal year, and the budget requires approval from the House of Representatives and the Senate before it can be enacted. Since the Democratic party controls the House of Representatives, it is extremely unlikely that the proposed budget will be passed in its current form. In particular, the idea of creating a new tobacco control agency seems to have little support among lawmakers.

The Tobacco Control Act presents an additional challenge in the implementation of the Trump administration’s budget proposal. Since the law tasks the FDA with the job of regulating tobacco products, an amendment to the law would likely be necessary before that responsibility could legally be transferred to another government agency.

Coronavirus: China Releases Largest Study on Covid-19 Since Outbreak

Kathryn R. Bown
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0
Coronavirus: China Releases Largest Study on Covid-19 Since Outbreak

Chinese health officials have released the first details of more than 44,000 cases of new coronavirus, Covid-19, in the largest study since the outbreak began.

Data from the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDC) finds that more than 80% of the cases have been mild, with the sick and elderly most at risk.

The research also points to the high risk to medical staff.

On February 18, a hospital director in the city of Wuhan died from the virus.

Liu Zhiming, 51, was the director of the Wuchang Hospital in Wuhan – one of the leading hospitals in the virus epicenter. He is one of the most senior health officials to die so far.

Hubei, whose capital is Wuhan, is the worst affected province in China.

The report by the CCDC shows the province’s death rate is 2.9% compared with 0.4% in the rest of the country.

The findings put the overall death rate of the coronavirus at 2.3%.

China’s latest official figures released on February 18 put the overall death toll at 1,868 and 72,436 infections.

Officials reported 98 new deaths and 1,886 new cases in the past day, with 93 of those deaths and 1,807 infections in Hubei province – the epicenter of the outbreak.

According to Chinese authorities, more than 12,000 people have recovered.

The study, published in the Chinese Journal of Epidemiology on February 17, looked at more than 44,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in China as of February 11.

While the results largely confirm previous descriptions of the virus and patterns of infection, the study includes a detailed breakdown of the 44,672 confirmed cases across all of China.

The study finds that 80.9% of infections are classified as mild, 13.8% as severe and only 4.7% as critical. The number of deaths among those infected, known as the fatality rate, remains low but rises among those over 80 years old.

Looking at the sex ratio, men are more likely to die (2.8%) than women (1.7%).

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The research also identifies which existing illnesses put patients at risk. It puts cardiovascular disease at number one, followed by diabetes, chronic respiratory disease and hypertension.

Pointing out the risk to medical staff, the study says that a total of 3,019 health workers have been infected, 1,716 of which were confirmed cases. Five had died by February 11, which was the last day of data included in the research.

On February 13, China broadened its definition of how to diagnose people, including “clinically diagnosed cases” which previously were counted separate from “confirmed cases”.

Looking forward, the study finds that “the epidemic curve of onset of symptoms” peaked around January 23-26 before declining up to February 11.

It suggests that the downward trend in the overall epidemic curve could mean that “isolation of whole cities, broadcast of critical information  (e.g., promoting hand washing, mask wearing, and care seeking) with high frequency through multiple channels, and mobilization of a multi-sector rapid response teams is helping to curb the epidemic”.

The authors also warn that with many people returning from a long holiday, the country “needs to prepare for the possible rebound of the epidemic”.

China’s response to the new coronavirus has seen the lockdown of Wuhan – the largest city in Hubei – and the rest of the province as well as severe travel restrictions on movements across the country.

Boy Scouts of America Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Following Abuse Lawsuits

Nancy Clayson
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Boy Scouts of America Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Following Abuse Lawsuits
Image source: BSA

The Boy Scouts of America has filed for bankruptcy protection following multiple abuse lawsuits.

The BSA says the move will allow it to build a compensation fund for abuse victims.

As a result of the move, all civil lawsuits against it are put on hold.

The BSA is struggling with declining membership as well as abuse claims.

Chief executive Roger Mosby said in a statement: “The BSA cares deeply about all victims of abuse and sincerely apologizes to anyone who was harmed during their time in scouting. We are outraged that there have been times when individuals took advantage of our programs to harm innocent children.”

Court papers filed in Delaware listed liabilities of up to $1 billion and assets of as much as $10 billion, reports say.

The filing was made under Chapter 11 of the US bankruptcy code which allows the group to keep operating and pay its creditors over time.

The bankruptcy allows the BSA to bring all of the lawsuits into one court and try to negotiate a settlement, rather than using its funds to fight each case in court.

The group said it was setting up a trust fund to compensate victims.

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Roger Mosby said in a statement: “While we know nothing can undo the tragic abuse that victims suffered, we believe the Chapter 11 process – with the proposed trust structure – will provide equitable compensation to all victims while maintaining the BSA’s important mission.”

According to the Wall Street Journal, the BSA has 261 councils which operate local troops and own assets including land in many states. The bankruptcy move is designed to protect those councils, which hold about 70% of all BSA assets, the publication says.

In its statement, the BSA said the councils, which are legally separate and financially independent of the national organization, had not filed for bankruptcy.

Bosarge Divorce: Billions at Stake in High Stakes Houston Divorce Ruling

Lisa.Felice
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0
Bosarge Divorce: Billions at Stake in High Stakes Houston Divorce Ruling
Image source: edbosarge.com

Press release

Harris County State District Judge Chip Wells is set to rule this week on the high stakes divorce battle involving eccentric Houston billionaire Ed Bosarge.

Attorneys for Marie Bosarge claim the billionaire owns mansions, yachts and even a Bahamian Island but is trying to leave her penniless after their 30 years of marriage. One of their Houston mansions was originally put on the market for $43 billion.

Ed and Marie Bosarge had only one house and faced foreclosure when they got married. They amassed a fortune during their decades-long marriage. Experts say Bosarge may have $2.3 billion in secretive South Dakota trusts created to cheat his wife.

 Her lawyer says that fraudulent scheme even included trying to hide in the trust a 43-carat diamond necklace he gave Marie for Christmas.

Wells hasn’t ruled whether the divorce case will go to a jury, but when Ed Bosarge’s lawyers suggested the judge had no choice but to end the lawsuit, Wells exploded from the bench.

“I don’t think the laws of South Dakota frees him of an obligation he made when he got married,” Judge Wells angrily told Ed Bosarge’s lawyers. “Scheme may be the key word. Play this game. Fraud on the community estate. I promise you it’s not going to go well. I don’t have to tolerate your disrespect.”

Attorney Bucky Allshouse says if Ed Bosarge gets away with his plan then no wife would be safe.

“I want him to be fair. You know, we made our money in Houston. It’s community property. It’s fifty-fifty. I want what’s fair,” said Marie Bosarge.

Covid-19: First Coronavirus Death in Europe

Kathryn R. Bown
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0
Covid-19: First Coronavirus Death in Europe
Image source: Wikimedia Commons

The first death from new coronavirus outside Asia has been confirmed in France.

According to French Health Minister Agnès Buzyn, the victim was an 80-year-old Chinese tourist from Hubei province.

The man arrived in France on January 16 and was placed in quarantine in hospital in Paris on January 25, the minister said.

Only three deaths had previously been reported outside mainland China – in Hong Kong, the Philippines and Japan.

WHO: Coronavirus Cases Not Rising Outside China Despite Spike in Hubei Province

China Coronavirus: Lockdowns Across Hubei Province
China Coronavirus: Signs, Symptoms and Treatment

1,523 people have died from the virus within China, mostly in Hubei province, where it first emerged. These include 143 deaths newly reported on February 15 by China’s national health commission.

A further 2,641 people have been newly confirmed as infected, bringing China’s total cases to 66,492.

However, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on February 15 that the outbreak in Hubei was now being managed more effectively – “indicating that overall the epidemic is controllable”.

Speaking at a security conference in Germany, Wang Yi said the number of people who had recovered reached more than 8,000 on February 14.

At the same meeting, the head of the WHO said all countries should be prepared for the arrival of the virus.

In late January, France became the first European country to confirm cases of the virus. It has had 11 confirmed cases of the disease, officially called Covid-19. Six people remain in hospital.

The Chinese tourist in France had been in a critical condition in the Bichat hospital in northern Paris, the health minister said. He died of a lung infection due to the coronavirus.

His 50-year-old daughter is among the six in hospital with the virus, but she is recovering, the minister said.

The other five people are British nationals who caught the virus at a chalet in the ski resort of Contamines-Montjoie.

Outside mainland China, there have been more than 500 cases in 26 countries.

Earlier in the day, the US said it was sending a plane to Japan to evacuate Americans stuck on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which is being held in quarantine in a Japanese port.

According to Japan’s NHK broadcaster, some 400 US citizens are reported to be on the cruise ship. Those with symptoms are expected to be treated in Japan.

Out of 3,700 people on board, 218 have tested positive for the virus. Australia also said it was considering removing its citizens from the ship.

Meanwhile, an 83-year-old American woman on a cruise ship which docked in Cambodia, has tested positive for the virus after arriving by air in Malaysia.

The MS Westerdam had been turned away by five destinations, including the US island of Guam, before Cambodia agreed it could land.

The woman and her husband were among 145 passengers from the ship who flew to Malaysia after it docked. According to the Malaysian health authorities Both showed symptoms, but he tested negative.

No cases were found on board the cruise ship during regular health checks on the 1,455 passengers and 802 crew.

On February 14, Egypt’s health ministry confirmed the first case of the coronavirus in Africa. The ministry described the person as a foreigner, but did not disclose their nationality.

All You Need to Know About Liposuction Surgery in Turkey

Kathryn R. Bown
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All You Need to Know About Liposuction Surgery in Turkey

In the present time, there are so many kinds of cosmetic surgeries that are becoming the talk of the town. As people have become aware of what they need to care about, what options do they have, the easy way outs through surgeries, so they all demand and become attracted to treatments like liposuction? It is a cosmetologically advanced treatment that is known for its amazing results all over the world. It is the best-known treatment done in Turkey, and people from all over the world come to get their services. We are going to share with you the details about it so that you can take advantage of it in all possible ways. Let us get started with it in detail now.

What is Liposuction?            

By liposuction surgery by Cosmeticium in Turkey, we mean that treatment that people like to get for the purpose of losing fat. In many cases, you see people are complaining about stubborn fat in their body and that they are unable to get rid of after so much dieting and exercise. Well, liposuction surgery is the solution for this because this procedure helps in taking out fat from the muscles around the stomach, around the upper section of rams, things and hip region. So, liposuction surgery is something that helps you get the slim and trim body you were craving for so long time.

The liposuction surgery in Turkey by Cosmeticium has also known as lip pasty or cosmetic body contouring technique in which the whole-body shape is improved by taking out extra fat in all possible regions that make the body look fat and deformed. liposuction surgery is something that needs a careful examination of the body the procedure is practically started. You can simply do a favor to yourself by hiring the right professional surgeon for this.

What to expect from this procedure?

In Turkey, Liposuction surgery is a procedure that is done by giving the patient enough anesthesia. This is to help the patient avoid any pain during the process. It is very unusual to feel pain during the process due to this precaution, while the pain after the surgery is done is a huge deal. We are going to share with you before and after surgery, precautions to handle your situation well enough and to avoid pain as well. Let us get started with these now.

Before Treatment

Before the liposuction surgery in Turkey, you can follow the following points.

  1. Discuss your fears with your doctor about the protocol, the results, the pain, and everything that comes to your mind. This talk will put your mind to ease and help you move to the liposuction surgery.
  2. You have to discuss with your liposuction surgery professional about the kind and the type of anesthesia that will be given to you during the surgery. You can then suggest your needs and make changes accordingly.
  3. As your liposuction surgery professional that you are supposed to need any medication after the liposuction surgery or not. This will help you understand the process more and make advance preparations for it.

After Treatment

After the liposuction surgery in Turkey is done, you must keep in mind the following points to avoid pain.

  1. You should try to get your pills, especially of pain as recommended by the doctor.
  2. Try to use the compression garment after the liposuction surgery because this will help you deal with your body after the surgery and the pain as well.
  3. The drains must be kept in their required place after the liposuction surgery is done.
  4. You have to take enough rest and relax your body as much as you can. Never start working, walking and going out immediately. Give your body the time to heal and come to normal functioning form.
  5. Edema or swelling can occur if you start taking salt, either through food or drinks. So, avoid nay salt intake in your body.
  6. Try to take more and more fluids to avoid nay dehydration of your body.

How to decide if liposuction surgery is for you or not?

There are some simple things or points that will help you decide the fact that if you need any liposuction surgery treatment or not. These include all possible situations occurring in people who need liposuction surgery. These include the following:

  1. You are not a good liposuction surgery candidate if you do not have extra skin on your body.
  2. You do not have good muscle tone, then gain you need to get this procedure done for your body parts.
  3. Elasticity in the skin if not enough present, then liposuction surgery becomes a necessity for you.
  4. If there is stubborn fat on your body, then liposuction surgery is surely for you because it will help you get rid of it.
  5. Your physical shape of the body and overall health if not good, then the liposuction surgery becomes a necessity for you and your body.
  6. If you are overweight and obese, liposuction surgery is for you for sure.
  7. If you smoke, you will need liposuction surgery one or the other day in the future.

This procedure can be a little risky if you get services from any part of the world, other than Turkey because their services are very high class and reliable.

Conclusion

We all want the body that we crave for a very long time. Also, we want to put less effort in terms of dieting and exercise and practice some protocols like liposuction surgery to get rid of the extra fats and to bring the body into the shape we want. This body contouring technique is now quite old and is becoming advance in all procedures with time. So, if you also think that you need this liposuction surgery, then search for the right liposuction surgery center, get in touch with professional liposuction surgery doctor, talk about your needs in detail, and at the end hire with all satisfaction in your heart for your upcoming liposuction surgery.

Yemen: Saudi Fighter Jet Shot Down by Houthis

Roy Siemens
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0
Yemen: Saudi Fighter Jet Shot Down by Houthis
Image source Wikimedia

A Saudi Tornado warplane fighting in Yemen has crashed in the northern province of al-Jawf.

According to Saudi Arabia’s state news agency SPA, a Saudi-led coalition spokesman confirmed that the fighter jet had “fallen” while carrying out a support mission near Yemeni army units.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed they shot down the plane.

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The coalition has been battling the rebel Houthi movement since 2015.

It intervened after the Houthis ousted the internationally-recognized government from power in the capital Sanaa.

The Houthi rebels said they used ground-to-air missiles to down the warplane on February 14. They also accused the coalition of killing 30 people in retaliatory airstrikes in al-Jawf on the next day.

Saudi Arabia has not provided details of any casualties from the crash, or what caused it.

Yemen has been at war since 2015, when President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi and his cabinet were forced to flee the capital Sanaa by the Houthis.

Saudi Arabia backs President Hadi, and has led a coalition of regional countries in air strikes against the rebels.

The coalition carries out air strikes almost every day, while the Houthis often fire missiles into Saudi Arabia.

Yemen civil war has triggered the world’s worst humanitarian disaster, with an estimated 80% of the population – more than 24 million people – requiring humanitarian assistance or protection. Tens of thousands of people have died n Yemen as a result of the conflict.

Antarctica Temperature Exceeds 20C for First Time

James J. Williams
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Antarctica Temperature Exceeds 20C for First Time
The NASA study revealed that West Antarctica’s key glaciers are in an irreversible retreat
Image source: NASA

The temperature in Antarctica has exceeded 20C for the first time.

Researchers logged a temperature of 20.75C on Seymour Island off the coast of the continent.

Brazilian scientist Carlos Schaefer told AFP they had “never seen a temperature this high in Antarctica”.

However, the scientist warned the temperature, logged on February 9, was just one reading and not part of a long-term data set.

Antarctica also hit a record last week, with a temperature reading of 18.3C on the Antarctic Peninsula.

This latest reading was taken at a monitoring station on Seymour Island, part of a chain of islands off the same peninsula, at the northernmost point of the continent.

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Coldest place on Earth identified in Antarctica

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Although the temperature is a record high, Carlos Schaefer emphasized that the reading was not part of a wider study and so, in itself, could not be used to predict a trend.

He said: “We can’t use this to anticipate climatic changes in the future. It’s a data point.

“It’s simply a signal that something different is happening in that area.”

According to the UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO), temperatures on the Antarctic continent have risen by almost 3C over the past 50 years, and that about 87% of the glaciers along its west coast have “retreated” in that time.

Over the past 12 years the glaciers have shown an “accelerated retreat” due to global warming, it adds.

January 2020 was also Antarctica’s warmest January on record.

Scientists have warned that global warming is causing so much melting at the South Pole, it will eventually disintegrate – causing the global sea level to rise by at least 10ft over the coming centuries.

The previous record for the entire Antarctic region – which includes the continent, islands and ocean that are in the Antarctic climatic zone – was 19.8C, logged in January 1982.

In July 2019, the Arctic region hit its own record temperature of 21C, logged by a base at the northern tip of Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic.

Cesars 2020: Entire Board of French Oscars Resigns after Roman Polanski Row

Sonia Pantiss
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0
Cesars 2020: Entire Board of French Oscars Resigns after Roman Polanski Row
Photo AFP/Getty Images

The entire board of the French Oscars, the César Academy, has resigned following backlash over nominations for a film by Roman Polanski and demands for reform.

Roman Polanski’s An Officer and a Spy swept the nomination list for the César awards, sparking calls for a boycott.

The director has been wanted in the US for the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl since the 1970s.

Hundreds of actors, producers and directors have also called for change.

In an open letter this week, they denounced “dysfunction” at the César Academy and opacity in its management.

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In a statement on February 13, the César Academy said the board had “unanimously decided to resign” to “honor those men and women who made cinema happen in 2019, to find calm and ensure that the festival of film remains just that, a festival”.

The statement added: “This collective decision will allow complete renewal of the board.”

A general meeting is set to be held after this month’s ceremony to elect a new board, which will look at implementing reforms and modernizing the academy.

France’s Culture Minister Franck Riester said the academy must operate democratically, in the spirit of “openness, transparency, parity and diversity”.

The César Academy has faced controversy in recent months.

Many called for a boycott when Roman Polanski’s film An Officer and a Spy, or J’accuse in French, received 12 award nominations. The director fled the US after his rape conviction in the 1970s, and has since faced other accusations of assault.

France’s equality minister and film critics also condemned the decision to nominate the Polish-French director’s film.

However, the Césars defended the nominations, arguing that the body “should not take moral positions” in giving awards.

In an open letter this week, hundreds of film professionals, including actors and directors, called for “profound reform” at the academy.

They complained of a lack of democracy in the institution and said the founding statutes of the Césars had not changed “for a very long time”.

In response, the board said it would ask for a mediator to be appointed by a culture ministry agency to oversee reforms of its statutes and governance.

It is not the first time the Césars have faced controversy over Roman Polanski. In 2017, the director was picked to head the award’s jury, but stepped down after the move sparked outrage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak-vHVxsFG8

WHO: Coronavirus Cases Not Rising Outside China Despite Spike in Hubei Province

Kathryn R. Bown
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0
WHO: Coronavirus Cases Not Rising Outside China Despite Spike in Hubei Province

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), coronavirus cases are not rising dramatically outside China despite a spike in Hubei province.

The only exception was on the Diamond Princess cruise liner docked in Japan, where 44 new cases were reported, bringing the total there to 218.

According to the WHO, there was also no major shift in the coronavirus’s pattern of mortality or severity.

On February 12, Hubei recorded 242 deaths, the deadliest day of the outbreak.

There was also a huge increase in cases, with 14,840 people diagnosed but most of this was down to Hubei using a broader definition to diagnose people, said Mike Ryan, head of WHO’s health emergencies program.

He said: “This does not represent a significant change in the trajectory of the outbreak.”

Outside China there had been two deaths and 447 cases in 24 countries, he said.

Coronavirus: US Declares Public Health Emergency
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On February 13, Japan announced its first coronavirus death – a woman in her 80s who lived in Kanagawa, south-west of Tokyo.

The woman’s diagnosis was confirmed after her death and she had no obvious link to China’s Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak, Japanese media reported.

The Diamond Princess cruise ship is in quarantine in Yokohama. Not all the 3,700 people on board have been tested yet.

People with the virus are taken to hospitals on land to be treated, while those on board are largely confined to their cabins.

On February 13, Japan said it would allow those aged 80 or over who have tested negative for the coronavirus to disembark.

Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said they could be allowed off the ship as early as February 14 but would have to stay in accommodation provided by the government, the Japan Times reported.

Meanwhile another cruise ship – the MS Westerdam – carrying more than 2,000 people docked in Cambodia after being turned away by ports in Japan, Taiwan, Guam, the Philippines and Thailand despite having no sick patients on board.

Until February 13 increases, the number of people with the virus in Hubei was stabilizing.

The new cases and deaths in the province have pushed the national death toll above 1,350 with almost 60,000 infections in total.

White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow said there had been “surprise” in the US at the new cases.

He said: “We’re a little disappointed in the lack of transparency coming from the Chinese, these numbers are jumping around.”

The Trump administration was also disappointed that China had not accepted a US offer to send experts to help China respond to the outbreak, Larry Kudlow said.

China sacked two top officials in Hubei province hours after the new figures were revealed.

Only Hubei province – which accounts for more than 80% of overall Chinese infections – is using the new definition to diagnose new cases.

White House 2020: Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Troy Price Resigns over Caucus Chaos

Diane A. Wade
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0
White House 2020: Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Troy Price Resigns over Caucus Chaos
Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Troy Price, the chairman of the Democratic Party in Iowa, has resigned after last week’s caucus was beset with technical issues, questions over accuracy and delays.

In his resignation letter, he said that “the precinct and satellite caucus meetings themselves went well”.

However, Troy Price conceded that the process of reporting results was “unacceptable”.

At the last week’s caucuses, Pete Buttigieg won with a narrow 0.1% victory over Bernie Sanders in terms of delegates, while Senator Sanders won the popular vote.

Since then, the Sanders campaign has asked for a “recanvassing” check of the vote.

Iowa Democratic leaders will elect a new local leader on February 15.

Troy Price said in his letter: “While it is my desire to stay in this role and see this process through to completion, I do believe it is time for the Iowa Democratic Party to begin looking forward.

“My presence in my current role makes that more difficult.”

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He then added that the Iowa Democrats were “not the only party to blame”, and mentioned the partners and vendors who were also involved.

The Iowa caucus is the important first step in choosing the challenger to the incumbent president.

Primaries and caucuses are a string of nationwide state-by-state votes, which culminate in the Democratic nominee being chosen at the party convention in July.

Although Iowa awards only 41 of the 1,991 delegates required to become the Democratic White House nominee, the state’s vote is usually considered the first clear indication of each candidate’s standing within the race.

This year the Iowa Democratic Party distributed a new app, called Shadow, to precinct officials that was supposed to help them report results more quickly.

It was an issue with this app, which the party said was a coding error that led to the delay in results and ultimate chaos on February 3.

Pete Buttigieg declared victory for himself that same day, before any of the results were released.

In the end, the results were finally released three days later than expected.

By that time the chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) had already weighed in, calling for a review of the vote totals.

The second vote that took place – the primary in New Hampshire on February 11 – was more clear-cut. Bernie Sanders came in first, with Pete Buttigieg second and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar in third place.

Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren, previously considered frontrunners, came in fourth and fifth – each with zero delegates.

Italy: Matteo Salvini Faces Trial over Charges of Holding Immigrants at Sea

Diane A. Wade
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Italy: Matteo Salvini Faces Trial over Charges of Holding Immigrants at Sea
U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser / Arlington National Cemetery /

The Italian Senate has voted to allow prosecutors to put far-right leader Matteo Salvini on trial over charges of holding immigrants at sea.

Matteo Salvini, who previously served as the country’s interior minister, is accused of illegally keeping people on a boat off Sicily for days in August 2019.

Some 116 migrants remained aboard the Gregoretti for close to a week.

On February 12, a majority of senators voted for the trial of Matteo Salvini to go ahead.

The anti-immigration League leader has repeatedly said he wants to go to court. He told the chamber he wanted “to tell the world” that his migration policies “saved tens of thousands of lives.”

He said: “I am absolutely calm and proud of what I have done. And I’ll do it again as soon as I get back into government.”

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Senators from his League party left the chamber rather than take part in the vote.

Under Italian law, ministers have parliamentary immunity for actions taken while they were in office. However, a committee voted last month to strip Matteo Salvini of his immunity – leaving the final decision in the hands of the Senate on February 12.

An official vote tally is expected by 19:00 local time. If successfully prosecuted at trial, Matteo Salvini could face up to 15 years in jail.

For years, some in Italy have complained that the country has taken in a large number of migrants fleeing across the Mediterranean, and has called for other EU nations to take their share.

Matteo Salvini in particular took a hard stance on migrant boats while he was in office, implementing a closed ports policy.

On July 25, 2019, Italian coastguard ship the Gregoretti picked up about 140 migrants trying to travel to Italy from Libya.

While the Gregoretti allowed several people off the ship for medical attention, some 116 people remained on board for days while Matteo Salvini demanded other EU countries take them in.

The decision drew an immediate backlash. Prosecutors opened an investigation into conditions aboard after reports that migrants only had one toilet between them.

After the Catholic Church and a number of states agreed to care for those on board, in a deal which then EU commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos helped to broker, Matteo Salvini eventually consented to let them dock on July 31.

Venezuela: Juan Guaido Met with Protests after Returning from International Tour

Diane A. Wade
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0
Venezuela: Juan Guaido Met with Protests after Returning from International Tour
Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaidó was met with protests at the airport after returning home from an international support-building tour.

Supporters of President Nicolás Maduro shouted “fascist!”, grabbed Juan Guaidó’s shirt and pushed him in the airport just outside the capital Caracas.

Juan Guaidó, 36, defied a travel ban to go to Colombia, Europe, Canada and the US, and met President Donald Trump.

He is considered the legitimate leader of Venezuela by more than 50 countries.

However, President Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela’s left-wing leader who enjoys the support of the military, has remained in power.

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One of the protesters, who shouted at Juan Guaidó and threw a liquid at him, was wearing the uniform of the state-owned airline Conviasa, which has been directly hit by US sanctions.

There were also scuffles between the protesters and supporters of Juan Guaidó, who had gone to the airport to welcome him.

Lawmakers loyal to Juan Guaidó had to walk to the airport after the bus they were traveling in was stopped by police.

Journalists reported being attacked and having their kit stolen by those who had turned out to boo Juan Guaidó.

His office later said that a relative who was travelling with him had been held by airport officials, and had not been seen since.

Meanwhile, without directly naming Juan Guaidó, President Maduro told his supporters to focus on “defending Venezuela”.

He said at a ceremony that was broadcast on state television: “Let’s not get distracted by stupidities, by dummies, by traitors to the homeland.”

Nicolas Maduro’s second-in-command Diosdado Cabello also denounced Juan Guaidó’s three-week tour as a “tourism trip”, and said he did not expect anything to change after his return.

“He is nothing,” Diosdado Cabello added.

President Maduro and his officials have threatened Juan Guaidó in the past, but these threats have, so far, not led to him being harmed or detained.

Despite this being the second time he defied a court-imposed travel ban, Juan Guaidó was not arrested.

After landing, Juan Guaidó addressed a rally of about 500 people in Caracas, where he called for renewed protests against the president.

During Juan Guaidó’s visit to the US, President Trump promised to “smash” Nicolas Maduro’s government.

Oscar Winners 2020: Full List

Sonia Pantiss
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0
Oscar Winners 2020: Full List

The 2020 Academy Awards have taken place on Sunday, February 9, in Los Angeles.

Here’s the full list of winners and nominees.

Best picture

  • Winner: Parasite
  • Ford v Ferrari
  • The Irishman
  • Jojo Rabbit
  • Joker
  • Little Women
  • Marriage Story
  • 1917
  • Once Upon A Time in Hollywood

Best actress

  • Winner: Renee Zellweger – Judy
  • Cynthia Erivo – Harriet
  • Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story
  • Saoirse Ronan – Little Women
  • Charlize Theron – Bombshell

Best actor

  • Winner: Joaquin Phoenix – Joker
  • Antonio Banderas – Pain and Glory
  • Leonardo DiCaprio – Once Upon A Time in Hollywood
  • Adam Driver – Marriage Story
  • Jonathan Pryce – The Two Popes

Best supporting actress

  • Winner: Laura Dern – Marriage Story
  • Kathy Bates – Richard Jewell
  • Scarlett Johansson – Jojo Rabbit
  • Florence Pugh – Little Women
  • Margot Robbie – Bombshell

Best supporting actor

  • Winner: Brad Pitt – Once Upon A Time in Hollywood
  • Tom Hanks – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
  • Sir Anthony Hopkins – The Two Popes
  • Al Pacino – The Irishman
  • Joe Pesci – The Irishman

Best director

  • Winner: Parasite – Bong Joon-ho
  • The Irishman – Martin Scorsese
  • Joker – Todd Phillips
  • 1917 – Sam Mendes
  • Once Upon A Time in Hollywood – Quentin Tarantino

Best original screenplay

  • Winner: Parasite – Bong Joon-ho & Han Jin Won
  • Knives Out – Rian Johnson
  • Marriage Story – Noah Baumbach
  • 1917 – Sam Mendes & Krysty Wilson-Cairns
  • Once Upon A Time in Hollywood – Quentin Tarantino

Best adapted screenplay

  • Winner: Jojo Rabbit – Taika Waititi
  • The Irishman – Steven Zaillian
  • Joker – Todd Phillips & Scott Silver
  • Little Women – Greta Gerwig
  • The Two Popes – Anthony McCarten

Best animated feature

  • Winner: Toy Story 4
  • How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
  • I Lost My Body
  • Klaus
  • Missing Link

Best documentary feature

  • Winner: American Factory
  • The Cave
  • The Edge of Democracy
  • For Sama
  • Honeyland

Best international feature

  • Winner: Parasite – South Korea
  • Corpus Christi – Poland
  • Honeyland – North Macedonia
  • Les Miserables – France
  • Pain and Glory – Spain

Best original song

  • Winner: (I’m Gonna) Love Me Again – Rocketman (Elton John & Bernie Taupin)
  • I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away – Toy Story 4 (Randy Newman)
  • I’m Standing With You – Breakthrough (Diane Warren)
  • Into the Unknown – Frozen 2 (Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez)
  • Stand Up – Harriet (Joshuah Brian Campbell & Cynthia Erivo)

Best original score

  • Winner: Joker – Hildur Guðnadóttir
  • Little Women – Alexandre Desplat
  • Marriage Story – Randy Newman
  • 1917 – Thomas Newman
  • Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – John Williams

Best cinematography

  • Winner: 1917 – Roger Deakins
  • The Irishman – Rodrigo Prieto
  • Joker – Lawrence Sher
  • The Lighthouse – Jarin Blaschke
  • Once Upon A Time in Hollywood – Robert Richardson

Best visual effects

  • Winner: 1917 – Guillaume Rocheron, Greg Butler & Dominic Tuohy
  • Avengers: Endgame – Dan DeLeeuw, Russell Earl, Matt Aitken & Dan Sudick
  • The Irishman – Pablo Helman, Leandro Estebecorena, Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser & Stephane Grabli
  • The Lion King – Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R Jones & Elliot Newman
  • Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – Roger Guyett, Neal Scanlan, Patrick Tubach & Dominic Tuohy

Best film editing

  • Winner: Ford v Ferrari – Michael McCusker & Andrew Buckland
  • The Irishman – Thelma Schoonmaker
  • Jojo Rabbit – Tom Eagles
  • Joker – Jeff Groth
  • Parasite – Yang Jinmo

Best costume design

  • Winner: Little Women – Jacqueline Durran
  • The Irishman – Sandy Powell & Christopher Peterson
  • Jojo Rabbit – Mayes C Rubeo
  • Joker – Mark Bridges
  • Once Upon A Time in Hollywood – Arianne Phillips

Best sound editing

  • Winner: Ford v Ferrari – Donald Sylvester
  • Joker – Alan Robert Murray
  • 1917 – Oliver Tarney & Rachael Tate
  • Once Upon A Time in Hollywood – Wylie Stateman
  • Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – Matthew Wood & David Acord

Best sound mixing

  • Winner: 1917 – Mark Taylor & Stuart Wilson
  • Ad Astra – Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson & Mark Ulano
  • Ford v Ferrari – Paul Massey, David Giammarco & Steven A Morrow
  • Joker – Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic & Tod Maitland
  • Once Upon A Time in Hollywood – Michael Minkler, Christian P Minkler & Mark Ulano

Best production design

  • Winner: Once Upon A Time in Hollywood – Barbara Ling & Nancy Haigh
  • The Irishman – Bob Shaw & Regina Graves
  • Jojo Rabbit – Ra Vincent & Nora Sopková
  • 1917 – Dennis Gassner & Lee Sandales
  • Parasite – Lee Ha Jun & Cho Won Woo

Best make-up and hairstyling

  • Winner: Bombshell – Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan & Vivian Baker
  • Joker – Nicki Ledermann & Kay Georgiou
  • Judy – Jeremy Woodhead
  • Maleficent: Mistress of Evil – Paul Gooch, Arjen Tuiten & David White
  • 1917 – Naomi Donne, Tristan Versluis & Rebecca Cole

Best live action short

  • Winner: The Neighbors’ Window
  • Brotherhood
  • Nefta Football Club
  • Saria
  • A Sister

Best animated short

  • Hair Love
  • Dcera (Daughter)
  • Kitbull
  • Memorable
  • Sister

Best documentary short

  • Winner: Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)
  • In the Absence
  • Life Overtakes Me
  • St Louis Superman
  • Walk Run Cha-Cha

Oscars 2020: South Korea’s Parasite Becomes First Non-English Movie to Win Best Picture Award

Sonia Pantiss
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Oscars 2020: South Korea’s Parasite Becomes First Non-English Movie to Win Best Picture Award

South Korean movie Parasite has won best picture award at this year’s Oscars, becoming the first non-English language film to take the top prize.

Renee Zellweger won best actress for playing Judy Garland in Judy. Joaquin Phoenix was named best actor for Joker.

Laura Dern and Brad Pitt won the supporting acting awards for their roles in Marriage Story and Once Upon A Time in Hollywood respectively.

Parasite won four awards in total, while Sam Mendes’s 1917 took three.

The World War One epic 1917 had been the favorite to win best picture, but its awards all came in the technical categories.

Parasite‘s Bong Joon-ho beat Sam Mendes to the prize for best director, and also took the best original screenplay award.

The South Korean movie is a vicious social satire about two families from different classes in Seoul – one who live in poverty in a semi-basement, and another rich family residing in a large home.

It has now managed what no other subtitled film has done in the 92-year history of the Academy Awards and won best picture.

Bong Joon-ho said: “I feel like I’ll wake up to find it’s all a dream. It all feels very surreal.”

Producer Kwak Sin-ae, who collected the trophy, said: “I’m speechless. We never imagined this to happen. I feel like a very opportune moment in history is happening right now.”

There were boos when organizers tried to cut short the best picture acceptance speech by turning the stage lights off – leading the lights to be turned back on, allowing the celebrations to continue.

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Brad Pitt won the first acting Oscar of his career – picking up the best supporting actor trophy for his role in Quentin Tarantino’s movie.

He was the first winner of the night, and immediately used his speech to attack the way the impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump were handled.

Brad Pitt referred to the fact that Republican senators voted against allowing witnesses including former National Security Adviser John Bolton to give evidence.

He said: “They told me I only have 45 seconds up here, which is 45 seconds more than the Senate gave John Bolton this week.

“I’m thinking maybe Quentin does a movie about it and in the end the adults do the right thing.”

Brad Pit, 56, moved from the political to the personal, paying tribute to co-star Leonardo DiCaprio and reflecting on his journey to Hollywood superstardom.

Joaquin Phoenix, who won best actor for his remarkable performance in the origin story about Batman’s nemesis, also used the podium to send a heartfelt message about the state of the world, saying actors have the power to give a “voice for the voiceless”.

After telling the audience to stop clapping him as he took to the stage – “Don’t do that” – Joaquin Phoenix managed to cover topics from animal rights and the environment to racism and sexism.

The vegan activist told the audience that “we feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow, and when she gives birth, we steal her baby even though her cries of anguish are unmistakable”.

The actor also pointed out his own flaws: “I’ve been a scoundrel in my life. I’ve been cruel at times and hard to work with, but so many people in this room have given me a second chance.”

Joaquin Phoenix ended his speech by quoting a lyric written by his late brother River: “Run to the rescue and love and peace will follow.”

Laura Dern won best supporting actress for playing a divorce lawyer in Marriage Story.

A day before her 53rd birthday, the actress said the award is the best birthday present ever.

Laura Dern comes from an illustrious acting family, but in winning managed something her parents have not. Mother Diane Ladd has been nominated for three Academy Awards, and dad Bruce Dern has two unsuccessful nominations.

She told the audience: “Some say never meet your heroes.

“But I say if you’re really blessed, you get them as your parents.”

Renee Zellweger used her speech to pay tribute to Judy Garland, who was nominated for two Oscars in the 1950s and 60s.

The actress said: “Judy Garland did not receive this honor in her time,

“I am certain that this moment is an extension of the celebration of her legacy.”

Jakraphanth Thomma: Thai Soldier Kills at Least 20 in Gun Rampage

Nancy Clayson
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Jakraphanth Thomma: Thai Soldier Kills at Least 20 in Gun Rampage
Image source: Facebook

A Thai soldier has killed 20 people and injured dozens more in a gun rampage in the city of Nakhon Ratchasima.

According to media, Jakraphanth Thomma, a junior officer, killed his commanding officer before stealing weapons from a military camp on February 8.

The suspect then continued his attack in a shopping centre, where he is now believed to be holed up.

Jakraphanth Thomma also posted about the attack on social media.

His motives remain unclear.

Thaim authorities have sealed off the Terminal 21 shopping center in Nakhon Ratchasima, also known as Korat, as they try to track down the suspect.

Troops and police have entered the building and there have been reports of more gunshots.

Defense ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Kongcheep Tantravanich said hundreds of people had been brought out of the complex safely, but there could be dozens still in the building.

A tweet from security forces said the ground floor had now been cleared.

The Bangkok Post reported earlier that the suspect, who it said was 32 years old, had taken hostages, but this has not been officially confirmed.

Jakraphanth Thomma’s mother has been brought to the shopping center to try to persuade him to give himself up.

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Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul confirmed that 16 people had died at the scene of the shootings, with another four dying later in hospital. A total of 31 people have been injured, with 10 of them in a critical condition. But there are fears the numbers could rise.

The shooting began at about 15:30 local time at the Suatham Phithak military camp, where the commanding officer, named by the Bangkok Post as Col Anantharot Krasae, was killed.

According to the publication, a 63-year-old woman and another soldier were also killed there.

The suspect seized arms and ammunition from the camp before taking a Humvee-type vehicle.

Jakraphanth Thomma then opened fire at a number of sites before arriving at the Terminal 21 shopping center.

Local media footage appears to show the suspect getting out of his vehicle and firing shots as people flee.

CCTV footage shows him inside the shopping center with a raised rifle.

PM Prayuth Chan-ocha is following developments and expressed condolences to the families of those killed, a spokeswoman said.

The public health minister has put out an appeal for people to donate blood at hospitals in the area.

Jakraphanth Thomma posted on his social media accounts during the attack, with one post on Facebook asking whether he should surrender.

He had earlier posted an image of a pistol with three sets of bullets, along with the words “it is time to get excited” and “nobody can avoid death”.

Facebook has now taken the page down.

The social media platform said: “Our hearts go out to the victims, their families and the community affected by this tragedy in Thailand. There is no place on Facebook for people who commit this kind of atrocity, nor do we allow people to praise or support this attack.”

White House 2020: What Are Primaries and Caucuses?

Diane A. Wade
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White House 2020: What Are Primaries and Caucuses?
Image by Jackie Ramirez from Pixabay

The presidential nominees will be chosen through a series of primaries and caucuses in every state and territory that began in Iowa on February 3 and ends in Puerto Rico in early June.

Short of a big shock, the Republican nominee will be Donald Trump. Even though technically he has two challengers, he is so popular among Republicans, he has a clear run ahead of him. With that in mind, the Democratic primaries are the only ones worth watching.

Step one: The start line

A whole year before the primaries, the first candidates emerged from hibernation. Over the year, others woke up and eventually 28 people announced they were running to become the Democratic nominee for president.

But dwindling funds, luke-warm or (ice-cold) public reaction and campaign infighting have, to varying degrees, led to 16 candidates pulling out of the race.

At the start of primary season, 11 people remained in the running. In theory, any one of them could become the nominee. In reality, only a few have a chance.

Step two: The Iowa caucuses

The first event of the primary season isn’t a primary at all – it’s a series of caucuses, in Iowa. These took place on February 3, in somewhat chaotic fashion.

What are caucuses?

A caucus involves people attending a meeting – maybe for a few hours – before they vote on their preferred candidate, perhaps via a head count or a show of hands. Those meetings might be in just a few select locations – you can’t just turn up at a polling station.

As a result, caucuses tend to really suit candidates who are good at rousing their supporters to get out of bed. People like Bernie Sanders, for example, who performed well in Iowa this time, as did Pete Buttigieg.

Caucuses used to be far more popular back in the day, but this year, Democrats are holding only four in US states – in Nevada, North Dakota, Wyoming and Iowa.

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If any candidate gets under 15% of the vote in any caucus, their supporters then get to pick a second choice from among the candidates who did get more than 15%, or they can just choose to sit out the second vote.

Why Iowa caucuses matter?

A win there for any candidate can help give them momentum and propel them to victory in the primaries.

Why is Iowa first in the primary calendar? You can blame Jimmy Carter, sort of. Iowa became first in 1972, for various technical electoral reasons too boring to go into here. But when Carter ran for president in 1976, his team realized they could grab the momentum by campaigning early in Iowa. He won there, then surprisingly won the presidency, and Iowa’s fate was sealed.

Why Iowa caucuses don’t matter?

Iowa doesn’t represent the entire US – it’s largely white, so the way people vote there is very, very different than in other states.

The sate’s record on picking the eventual nominees is a bit rubbish too, at least when it comes to Republicans – when there’s an open Republican race, Iowa hasn’t opted for the eventual nominee since 2000. Such names as Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum and Ted Cruz have won there in recent years.

Step three: The New Hampshire primary

Eight days after Iowa on February 11, is the first primary, in New Hampshire. The tiny north-eastern state of only 1.3 million people will once again become an unlikely hotbed of political activity.

What is a primary?

Unlike a caucus, where voters are expected to turn up at a few limited locations at certain times and stick around for a while, primary voters can just turn up at a polling booth and vote in secret. Then leave.

How does a primary work?

The more votes a candidate gets in a caucus or primary, the more “delegates” they are awarded, and all candidates will be hoping to win an unbeatable majority of delegates.

The number of delegates differs in each state, and is decided by a convoluted series of criteria. In California’s primary, for example, there are 415 Democratic delegates up for grabs this year. In New Hampshire, there are only 24.

This year is a bit different. Any candidate would need to get at least 15% of the vote in any primary or caucus to be awarded delegates. There are still 11 candidates in the running – an unusually large number – so there’s a risk the vote share will be spread out and some of the candidates may struggle to reach 15%.

After New Hampshire, we could get a clear picture of who is struggling, but whoever has claimed the most delegates at this stage is still far from guaranteed to be the nominee.

Even those who are struggling may not drop out right after New Hampshire, because there is so much at stake on…

Step four: Super Tuesday

A few other states vote in between New Hampshire and the end of February, but this is when things really start to warm up: Super Tuesday, on March 3.

What is Super Tuesday?

It is the big date in the primary calendar, when 16 states, territories or groups vote for their preferred candidate in primaries or caucuses. A third of all the delegates available in the entire primary season are up for grabs on Super Tuesday. By the end of the day it could be much clearer who the Democratic candidate will be. The two states with the most delegates are voting on Super Tuesday – California (with 415 Democratic delegates) and Texas (228). California is voting three months earlier than in 2016, making Super Tuesday even more super than normal.

California and Texas are two states with very diverse populations, so we may see them going for very different candidates than those chosen in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Step five: The rest of the race

After hectic Super Tuesday, everyone gets to cool down for a week, before another busy day on March 10, when six states vote, with 352 delegates available.

After that, the primary season still has three months left to run, and at the end, the role of those delegates will become clear…

Step six: The conventions

Donald Trump will almost certainly be sworn in as the Republican nominee at the party convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, between August 24 and 27. The Democrats will confirm their candidate at their own convention between July 13 and 16 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

What happens in a convention?

Here’s where those delegates come in.

Let’s say that during primary season, candidate A wins 10 delegates. During the convention, those 10 delegates would vote for candidate A to become the Democratic nominee. (Any party member can apply to be a delegate – they tend to be party activists or local political leaders.)

All through the Democratic primaries, there are 3,979 delegates available. If any one candidate wins more than 50% of those delegates during primary season (that’s 1,990 delegates), then they become the nominee in a vote at the convention.

But if we get to the Democratic convention and no-one has more than 50% of the delegates, it becomes what’s known as a “contested” or “brokered” convention. This could well happen this year. There are so many candidates that no one frontrunner emerges in the primaries, and they split the delegates between them. In that circumstance, a second vote would follow.

In that second vote, all the 3,979 delegates would vote again, except this time they would be joined by an estimated 771 “superdelegates”. These are senior party officials past and present (former president Bill Clinton is one, as is current Vermont senator and presidential contender Bernie Sanders), and they’re free to vote for whomever they wish.

If a candidate wins 50% or more in that vote – 2,376 delegates – then they become the nominee.

This is all thanks to a rule change in 2020: last time around, the superdelegates voted at the start of the convention, with the delegates. But many had pledged their support to Hillary Clinton even before the convention, leading her rival Bernie Sanders to suggest the deck was stacked against him.

Bernie Sanders is the one who campaigned for the change – and it may benefit him in 2020.

Step seven: The presidency

After inching past Iowa, negotiated New Hampshire, survived Super Tuesday and come through the convention, there is only one step left for the nominee: the presidential election, on November 3.

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