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April 20 2020

Lions lounge on road in Kruger National Park during South Africa’s coronavirus lockdown | CNN Travel

(CNN) — Whether it’s goats in Wales or wild boar in Italy, animals around the world appear to be adjusting well to life without humans during the coronavirus outbreak.

Even lions are enjoying the peace and quiet, a set of new photos from South Africa’s Kruger National Park shows.

The images show a pride of lions lounging on a road, seemingly unperturbed by the presence of the photographer, park ranger Richard Sowry.

Ranger Richard Sowry was able to get up close to the pride.

Richard Sowry/Kruger National Park

“This lion pride are usually resident on Kempiana Contractual Park, an area Kruger tourists do not see,” tweeted Kruger Wednesday. “This afternoon they were lying on the tar road just outside of Orpen Rest Camp.”

On a normal day, the area would be busy with tourists, but Kruger has been shut since March 25 as part of South Africa’s nationwide lockdown to combat coronavirus.

“Lying on the road during the daytime is unusual because under normal circumstances there would be traffic and that pushes them into the bush,” park spokesman Isaac Phaahla told CNN.

While the photos are striking, Phaahla said lockdown hasn’t led to many changes in animal behavior.

Kruger National Park is currently shut as part of South Africa’s nationwide lockdown.

Richard Sowry/Kruger National Park

“They just occupy places that they would normally shun when there are tourists,” he said.

“People should remember that KNP is still a largely wild area and in the absence of humans, wildlife is more active.”

Korean Fashion Trends We Can Wear In The PH

Blogger Fashion

IMAGE INSTAGRAM/skuukzky (LEFT), INSTAGRAM/jennierubyjane (RIGHT)

The Hallyu wave is real. Everyone and their moms have watched popular K-dramas like CLOY, K-pop finds a considerably large portion of fans right here in the country, and plenty of foodies have incorporated samgyeopsal and ramyeon into their regular diets.

But it’s trickier with fashion. The streets of Seoul are like a Fashion Week runway—almost everyone you cross paths with is most likely decked in Insta-friendly, cop-worthy outfits. But there’s also weather and price tags to consider.

The good news is, while their sense of style relies specifically on the occasion and location, there are certain trends we can duplicate right here in the PH. All we need to do is look to our favorite Korean stars for inspo.

Layering strappy tops over shirts

It might seem like a weird concept to layer garments in the Philippines, what with our eternally humid weather conditions, but the K-style way of doing it might just work in our favor. Fashion-forward Korean stars, from K-pop idols like Seulgi of Red Velvet to K-drama actresses like Bae Suzy, strategically layer thin garments under strappy pieces to avoid looking bulky. Put on a strappy dress or a strappy top over a shirt or a button-down made from thin fabrics and you’ve got a layering situation that’s as PH weather-friendly as it could get.

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Wide-legged pants

If there is one trend that’s popular in Korean fashion, it would probably be that they are into baggy and roomy garments, which applies to bottoms as well. Pants with a high waist and a baggy leg room are a standard piece of clothing in majority of Korean stars. Members of girl groups like Wonder Girls and 2NE1 are particularly fond of it—it’s a welcome change from the often flashy and fancy stage outfits they wear when performing. They would style it often with cropped tops to complement the cinched waistline and balance out the loose fit of the pants.

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Long shorts

You can say that majority of Korean fashion trends tend to be conservative, but they won’t shy away from trying out a cool clothing item when they see one. Shorts aren’t exactly the most conservative piece, but Korean stars have their workaround to make it less daunting—by wearing them at longer lengths. Former girl group members turned solo artists like Somi and Sunmi carry the piece with casual confidence that it makes you want to sport the trend, too.

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Unbuttoned tops

The fact that the streets of Seoul are never without a stylish passerby dressed in an interesting outfit is a testament to how innovative Korean fashion trends are. They especially seem to have a knack for reinventing the way they wear normal everyday pieces. Case in point: Tops that are not buttoned all the way through. It all started when Blackpink’s Jennie Kim, a Chanel muse and style maven in her own right, began wearing her button-down tops unbuttoned at the bottom, and everyone else followed suit. This styling trick is definitely doable and welcome in the Philippine heat.

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Off-the-shoulder jackets

As previously mentioned, K-fashion has its way of wearing basic items in a different, more refreshing approach. Jackets are normally reserved for air-conditioned rooms and –Ber months when you’re here in the Philippines, but this Korean fashion trend might just work in our favor. Transforming jackets in thin fabrics into an off-the-shoulder piece gives the clothing item a more reasonable cost-per-wear value. How do you restyle those barely worn jackets to make them PH-friendly? Leave one or two of the top buttons undone so you can push the lapels upward and make an off-shoulder neckline.

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Multiple piercings

Layering on necklaces is another popular Korean fashion trend which many stars tend to embrace for an added flair. While it would pass as a wearable trend here in the country, it isn’t always the most heat-friendly accessory trick. A few hours after sporting multiple chains and your perspiring skin might start to feel uncomfortable. Another K-fashion way of sporting accessories that’s warm weather appropriate is donning multiple earrings. It’s undoubtedly popular among K-pop idols—event male idols wear a lot of earrings. Get as creative as you can with curating your piercings and take inspo from these stylish Korean celebs.

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Candy Bulletin is finally here! If you’re an aspiring writer, vlogger, artist, or kahit marami ka lang talagang time, submit your entries here and make your mark in the Candy community! Share your feels, show your skills. Don’t worry—we won’t judge. 😉

This content was originally published here.

April 20 2020

Give drivers a break on auto insurance during COVID-19 pandemic, Ontario finance minister says | CBC News

Blogger Financial Services

Ontario Finance Minister Rod Phillips said Thursday he wants to see insurance companies giving drivers breaks on their premiums that reflect the “devastating impact” of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He met last week with the CEOs of the major insurance companies and said people are driving less and therefore having fewer collisions.

“The point I made to all of them is we’re in unprecedented times and there’s unprecedented pressure on Ontario families, and of course that includes drivers, and that their responses needed to reflect those times and that we would do what we need to do from a regulatory point of view to get out of the way,” Phillips said.

Some companies have already announced discounts for customers, including Allstate Insurance Co. of Canada, which is giving all of its drivers a “stay at home payment” of about 25 per cent of their monthly auto premium.

CAA Insurance announced Thursday that a 10-per-cent reduction for a year for both new and existing customers, once they renew, will be automatically applied.

Many other companies are offering to adjust premiums for customers, but Phillips said he would like to see them being proactive.

“I’m waiting for some details — I’ve learned to read the small print when it comes to auto insurance, but I think the initial response has to be one that reflects the challenges people are facing,” Phillips said.

“I reminded the CEOs, as I do with all businesspeople, that the people who they’re dealing with now have been their customers for the last five years and they’ll probably be their customers for the next five years, so it’s very important and we’re all going to remember how people were treated.”

The Insurance Bureau of Canada said its member companies are offering reductions for the next 90 days that could result in $600 million in savings to consumers, and said drivers should contact their insurance representatives.

NDP calls for 3-month discount of 50%

The NDP called on the Ontario government to mandate a three-month, 50-per-cent discount on auto insurance.

“As Ontarians listen to public health experts and stay home as much as possible, there’s little driving and few accidents happening in the province,” said auto insurance critic Tom Rakocevic.

“Drivers should get the benefit of that — not insurance companies.”

Aviva Canada said customers who have stopped driving entirely can reduce their premiums by up to 75 per cent, and people who are driving less may be eligible to save up to 15 per cent.

Most companies are also offering to defer payments for customers in financial difficulty and waive non-sufficient fund fees.

This content was originally published here.

April 16 2020

Microsoft Teams goes down just as Europe logs on to work remotely – The Verge

Blogger I.T.

Microsoft’s chat and communications tool, Microsoft Teams, is down across Europe this morning. The outage started just as thousands of workers started to sign into the service and attempt to work remotely amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Microsoft Teams users are currently experiencing issues signing into the service and sending messages. “We’re investigating messaging-related functionality problems within Microsoft Teams,” says a Microsoft support Twitter account.

The timing is less than ideal, just as many businesses are encouraging employees to work remotely and collaborate using services like Microsoft Teams. Even schools are also using tools like Microsoft Teams for remote education, with some schools in The Netherlands instructing students to log into the service today for digital questions.

This is the second major outage to hit Microsoft Teams this year. The service also went down after Microsoft forgot to renew a key SSL security certificate last month. Microsoft eventually got Teams working again after three hours of issues, and apologized for missing the expired certificate.

Microsoft’s Teams issues also come just hours after Xbox Live went down briefly. Microsoft hasn’t revealed the exact cause of the Xbox Live outage, but it’s likely related to an increase in demand. Steam reached a new concurrent online user record of 20 million, just as people start to stay at home more during the coronavirus pandemic.

This content was originally published here.

April 16 2020

Facing criticism, PM Trudeau and Scheer defend family travel decisions | CTV News

Blogger Travel

OTTAWA —
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and outgoing Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer are both defending recent decisions involving their families and travel amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

Scheer had brought his family on a flight from Regina to Ottawa alongside two other MPs. Adding his wife and five children to the nine-seat government Challenger jet meant foregoing proper physical distancing on the plane, according to Green Party Parliamentary Leader Elizabeth May, who was on the flight.

Scheer said his family was moving to Ottawa until at least June after spending March Break in Regina, so they opted to take a flight with two other people on April 10 rather than navigate through “several different airports.”

“We took great steps to ensure that we minimized our interactions with each other, my wife brought wipes along with her, we made sure that we were not speaking moistly on each other, we kept our distance, we kept to ourselves, and we made that decision based on the alternatives,” he explained.

May has backed up Scheer’s assertion that the family was extremely cautious, though she acknowledged she felt “trepidation” when the Prime Minister’s Office called and asked if she’d be comfortable with the addition of Scheer’s wife and five children to the flight.

Meanwhile, Trudeau was also put in the hot seat after his wife and posted a photo on Instagram of the family’s Easter celebrations at Harrington Lake, which is the prime minister’s official country residence.

The residence is located a 30-minute drive from downtown Ottawa in the province of Quebec. Quebec police have sought to limit non-essential travel between Ottawa and Gatineau, and some motorists have found themselves turned away when they attempt to cross the provincial border.

When pressed during his Tuesday press conference about his decision to spend Easter at Harrington Lake, Trudeau defended the decision.

“As I mentioned last week in my presentation, after three weeks of my family living up at Harrington and me working here, I went to join them for Easter. We continue to follow all instructions from public health authorities,” Trudeau said.

However, Canadians did not receive the news of Trudeau’s Easter at the country residence with a warm embrace. Comments on Sophie Grégoire Trudeau’s Instagram post were broadly critical, with thousands of likes on comments implying the Trudeau family was following a different set of rules than other Canadians.

“It’s nice Justin was able to rejoin his family for the holiday while the rest of us are respecting the social distancing recommendations,” wrote one user.

“Interesting how ‘stay at home’ don’t go to the cottage doesn’t apply to you. Terrible example,” wrote another.

However, the Trudeau family did have one prominent parliamentary defender. May said she felt that the blowback against Trudeau was “unfortunate.”

“I don’t think anybody’s had a day off in a long time, and to take Easter Sunday and Easter Monday to be somewhere to be with family and to have some downtime…I’m surprised there’d be blowback at that. I think that’s unfortunate,” May told CTVNews.ca in an interview Monday evening.

This content was originally published here.

April 16 2020

Growth in value of corporate finance deals slips after skyrocketing in 2018

Blogger Financial Services

The value of the top corporate finance deals in British Columbia has skyrocketed in recent years, but that growth has almost vanished, according to data collected on Business in Vancouver’s top 100 corporate finance deals list (pages 8 and 10).

In 2018, the value of the average stock and debt deal increased 106% to $369.9 million compared with $179.6 million in 2017.

Over the past year, that growth slowed significantly to 1.5% as the total barely budged to $375.6 million. While the average deal value on the list grew, the median deal value as well as both the largest and smallest stock and debt deal value fell.

The median deal value dropped 44.4% to $85.3 million in 2019 from $153.6 million in 2018. This suggests that the list’s larger corporate deals grew while smaller deals lower on the list declined in value.

The value of the top mergers and acquisitions (M&As) suffered a similar fate.

Both their median and average values peaked in 2018 and fell last year. The average M&A deal value dropped 36% to $619.2 million in 2019 down from $968.2 million in 2018. The median M&A deal value fell 56% to $229.4 million in 2019 from $521.5 million in 2018.

The gap between the average M&A value and the median M&A value has grown since 2015, when the median deal value was 75% of the average deal value.

In 2019 the median deal value was 54% of the average deal value. This suggests that bigger deals are getting bigger while smaller deals have remained largely static.

Despite the large decline in the average and median value of the list’s M&As and the drop in the median value of the biggest stock and debt deals, the average and median value of these deals is still above 2017 levels.

Most of the growth in corporate finance deals occurred in 2018, where the average deal value surged compared with 2017.

The value of deals in 2019 could be a return to more typical levels. The year’s average M&A deal value was 49% larger than the average deal value in 2017.

The growth in that value from 2015 to 2017 was 57.1%.

This content was originally published here.

alessa-winter-is-seen-wearing-denim-overall-outside-blanche-news-photo-1586802993.jpg

April 16 2020

12 Cute Summer 2020 Fashion Trends

Blogger Fashion

We may all be sitting on our couches right now, but we’re all hoping around summertime that we’ll be able to get out of the house and wear some cute summer fashion trends.

This content was originally published here.

April 13 2020

Amazon Workers In At Least 10 Warehouses Test Positive For Coronavirus

Blogger I.T.

A growing number of cases — in New York, California, Texas and at least six other states — could … [+] endanger the company’s ability to deliver food and other household staples to Americans.

Amazon workers in at least 10 U.S. warehouses have tested positive for coronavirus, marking an escalation at the company that could endanger the health of its workforce as well as its ability to deliver food and other household staples to millions of Americans unable to leave their homes.

The first case was reported last week at a facility in Queens in New York City. There’s now a second case in New York at a Staten Island facility. The company told workers on Tuesday that someone had tested positive for coronavirus, but hadn’t been to the facility since March 11, according to an employee who spoke with reporters.

Amazon employees have also tested positive for the virus in at least eight other warehouses across the nation — in Brownstown, Michigan, Jacksonville, Florida, Joliet, Illinois, Katy, Texas, Moreno Valley, California, Oklahoma City, Shepherdsville, Kentucky and Wallingford, Connecticut — according to Amazon employees, spokespeople and local news coverage. The company has temporarily closed some of these facilities in response.

“Last week, when everyone was going into quarantine, we were still sitting together in lunchrooms,” said Stephanie Haynes, who has worked at Amazon’s warehouse in Joliet, Illinois since 2015, on a call with reporters. On Monday, a human resources representative informed them that a woman had tested positive for coronavirus. “We wanted them to do something. But they said to go back to work,” said Haynes, who is a member of a member of retail worker rights group United for Respect.

“We are supporting the individuals, following guidelines from local officials and are taking extreme measures to ensure the safety of all the employees at our sites,” said an Amazon spokesperson.

In a recent blog post, it said in the event an employee tested positive for COVID-19 it would evaluate a number of factors to determine if the facility needed to close, including where the employee was in the building, for how long, how much time has passed since they were onsite and who they interacted with. It has also instructed employees who have coronavirus or have come into contact with someone with coronavirus to stay home with two weeks of additional paid time off. Workers who are unable to come into work, or prefer not to, have been given unlimited unpaid time off.

Amazon also said it has stepped up the frequency and intensity of its cleaning efforts, including the regular sanitization of door handles, handrails, touch screens, scanners and other frequently touched areas. It has eliminated in-person meetings during shifts and staggered the timing of shifts and break times.

“What should be first and paramount is public and worker health. Our concerns are primarily about person to person transmission. The question is not ‘are the surfaces clean?’” says Dania Rajendra, director of Athena Coalition, a workers rights group.

Hundreds of Amazon employees have signed a petition calling for childcare, hazard pay and paid sick leave. They have also called for the closure of any facility where an employee has tested positive for the coronavirus until it can be sanitized and employees can be tested for the virus.

With one in four Americans now ordered to stay in their homes in an effort to slow the spread of the virus, many have turned to Amazon for food and other household staples.

“We’re providing a vital service to people everywhere, especially to those, like the elderly, who are most vulnerable. People are depending on us,” said founder and CEO Jeff Bezos in an email to employees. The company is in the midst of hiring an additional 100,000 workers to help meet heightened demand. It has also doubled overtime pay for current hourly workers.

“Right now, Amazon is the closest thing we have to the Red Cross in terms of the broad distribution of consumer products,” says James Thomson, a partner with Amazon consultancy Buy Box Experts and the former business head of Amazon Services, a group that recruits sellers to the platform.

In the end, it may not be up to Amazon. “As more and more regulations come into place to limit the number of people who can gather, we could potentially see limitations on fulfillment centers, where they may not be able to run at 100% capacity,” says Gabe Ray, who runs operations for Evolved Commerce, an Amazon consultancy. “At some point, someone may step in and say let’s minimize the risk here.”

This content was originally published here.

April 13 2020

India: People can see the Himalayan peaks as lockdown eases air pollution | CNN Travel

Blogger Travel

(CNN) — People in the northern Indian state of Punjab are reacting with awe at the sight of the Himalayan mountain range, which is now visible from more than 100 miles away due to the reduction in air pollution caused by the country’s coronavirus lockdown.

Indians in the city of Jalandhar and the surrounding area have posted photos online of the views from their homes, with some saying they haven’t seen the peaks of the Himalayas for decades.

“For the first time in almost 30 years (I) could clearly see the Himalayas due to India’s lockdown clearing air pollution. Just amazing,” Manjit Kang wrote.

The phenomenon is made possible by a dramatic improvement in air quality in recent weeks, after industries shut down, cars came off the road and airlines canceled flights in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Delhi saw up to a 44% reduction in PM10 air pollution levels on the first day of its restrictions, India’s Central Pollution Control Board found. The PM10 standard measures airborne particulates 10 micrometers or smaller in diameter.

The report said that, in total, 85 cities across India saw less air pollution in the first week of the nationwide lockdown.

Meanwhile the air quality in Jalandhar, which sits more than 100 miles from the Himalayas, has been measured as “good” on the country’s national index for 16 of the 17 days since the nationwide lockdown was announced.

By contrast, the same 17-day period last year failed to register a single day of “good” air quality — and in the first 17 days of March this year, only three days saw “good” air quality.

The period has therefore marked an unintended but welcome breath of fresh air for the country’s crowded and polluted cities. India is home to 21 of the 30 worst polluted urban areas in the world, according to data compiled in IQAir AirVisual’s 2019 World Air Quality Report, with six in the top ten.

The nation has been in lockdown for more than two weeks, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordering “a total ban on venturing out of your homes.”

Only essential services have been operational, including water, electricity, health and fire services, groceries stores and municipal services. All other shops, commercial establishments, factories, workshops, offices, markets and places of worship have been closed and interstate buses and metros were be suspended.

The country has reported nearly 6,000 cases of Covid-19, and 178 deaths, according to figures from the Johns Hopkins University.

While the famous mountain range is more visible than in recent memory, it is also more deserted.

Many of its mountains have been closed to climbers for nearly a month, with both the Nepalese and Chinese sides of Mount Everest shutting down in early March.

This content was originally published here.

April 13 2020

Podcast: How blockchain could revolutionize green finance in Asia | National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association of Canada

Blogger Financial Services

Podcast: How blockchain could revolutionize green finance in Asia

ADB Institute | March 25, 2020

Marco Schletz - Podcast: How blockchain could revolutionize green finance in Asia Policy makers and researchers recently met at ADBI for a workshop examining green infrastructure investment, policy challenges, and economic implications in Asia. Marco Schletz from the United Nations Environment Program Technical University of Denmark Partnership was among the experts featured at the event. Afterwards, Schletz sat down with Asia’s Developing Future to discuss how blockchain and tokenized securities could revolutionize green finance and inclusive development in the region.

The views in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI).

Read the transcript
bit.ly/2QIe9TH

Policy makers and researchers recently met at ADBI for a workshop examining green infrastructure investment, policy challenges, and economic implications in Asia. Marco Schletz from the United Nations Environment Program Technical University of Denmark Partnership was among the experts featured at the event. Afterwards, Schletz sat down with Asia’s Developing Future to discuss how blockchain and tokenized securities could revolutionize green finance and inclusive development in the region.

Marco Schletz from the United Nations Environment Program Technical University of Denmark Partnership

Blockchain is an innovative data structure that is used to verify and store data across a distributed network of actors. All transactions are collected in so-called blocks. Tokenized securities is an innovative financing mechanism that is based on blockchain technology. Because all transactions are traced on the blockchain and documented, it offers transparency for the entire ecosystem of investors that are part of the investment process. And that makes it possible for everyone to verify that all the transactions are happening, and that the data is true.

It also enables you to disintermediate from commercial banks because you can offer your project on a global base and everyone can participate in it. Whereas in current settings, you’re often depending on your commercial bank as the sole funding opportunity. This also increases liquidity because it is a global investor base, you can basically approach with your project. Tokenized securities are particularly relevant for green assets. If you compare, for example, a green bond with a normal bond, green bonds pay a premium for certification costs and these costs can pose a financial barrier to project development if you look at small and medium-sized projects. So there blockchain technology is very applicable.

This content was originally published here.