Game 3 of NBA Finals looms, Lakers leading Heat 2-0 so far

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — For the Los Angeles Lakers, the mission is simple: Get two more wins and become NBA champions.

For the Miami Heat, the mission may be even more simple: Get one win and make this a series.

Game 3 of the NBA Finals is Sunday night, the Lakers holding a 2-0 lead in the title matchup — putting the franchise within reach of a record-tying 17th championship, LeBron James closer to his fourth ring and Anthony Davis perhaps a few days away from his first crown. They know desperation is coming from a banged-up Miami team, since Game 3 is almost certainly a must for the Heat.

“We’re never giving up,” Heat forward Jimmy Butler said. “We’re going to fight and we’re going to ride with this thing until the wheels fall off. It’s not over. We’re just down 0-2, so we’ve got to do something special. We’re capable of it and I wouldn’t want to be in the trenches with any other guys except for the ones that we have.”

Thing is, Butler isn’t certain which guys will be in those trenches Sunday.

All-Star center Bam Adebayo missed Game 2 with neck and shoulder problems, while starting point guard Goran Dragic also couldn’t play because of a torn left plantar fascia. Adebayo is hopeful that he could be well enough to play Sunday; Dragic wants desperately to be out there as well, but the Heat have concerns about how painful it would be for him.

Saturday was scheduled to be a day of more round-the-clock treatment for Dragic and Adebayo. If the Heat get either of them back, it’s a bonus.

“We can either fold or fight like the Miami Heat do,” rookie guard Tyler Herro said. “We know what kind of team we are. We know what we are capable of. Next game, we are going to fight and make some plays. It’s not going to be easy.”

The Lakers also say the same. They are, however, making things look easy.

The biggest stat differences in the first two games are the Lakers outscoring the Heat by 27 points from 3-point range (the total difference in scoring between the teams is 28) and a 25-11 edge so far in offensive rebounding.

“We know we can be a lot better and we’re just, myself and AD, we’re not satisfied with just the win,” James said. “We want to be great. We want to be great, as close to 48 minutes as possible.”

The Lakers not named James or Davis are shooting a combined 39% — but the two superstars are more than making up for that, shooting a combined 59%. If that’s what it takes, Davis isn’t complaining.

“We know we have something special with us two and this team, and just trying to capitalize on it,” Davis said.

Being in the NBA Finals 10 times now means James has seen just about everything, which also means he can sound whatever alarm he wants.

Only four teams have come back from 2-0 deficits in the finals. James was on the most recent club to do it, the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers who were down 2-0 and 3-1 before rallying to beat the Golden State Warriors in seven games for his third title.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was an assistant coach in 2006, when Miami rallied from down 2-0 against Dallas for that season’s championship. Like James, he knows it can be done.

“What will it take? Whatever is necessary. It’s simple as that,” Spoelstra said. “If you want something badly enough, you’ll figure it out. Our group is extremely stubborn, persistent, and we just need to figure out how to overcome this opponent. And that we respect the quality, high quality of opponent that we’re playing. You’ve’ got to figure it out and overcome it.”

There does seem to be a clear sense outside the Miami and Los Angeles locker rooms that the series is over.

There are already questions being asked about whether James or Davis should be the NBA Finals MVP. Whomever was at the controls of the social media accounts for the National Basketball Retired Players Association on Friday night predicted Game 2 would be a 91-point win for the Lakers.

The Lakers aren’t celebrating early. But if Davis and James keep going like this, the Lakers’ chances are looking pretty good.

“You know, we are not there yet. We have a long way to go,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “This is a very resilient basketball team that we are playing and a team that just flew through the East. We have great respect for them. But those guys are playing at an extremely high level, and hopefully we can get two more wins.”

-Associated Press

Australian archbishop ‘deeply troubled’ by country’s Oxford vaccine deal

A senior Catholic archbishop has warned he is “deeply troubled” by Australia’s vaccine deal with AstraZeneca, saying the potential vaccine uses a fetal cell line that creates an “ethical quandary” for Christians.

Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher penned a letter — also signed by Anglican and Greek Orthodox religious leaders — to Prime Minister Scott Morrison outlining concerns of some Christians over the vaccine’s apparent use of a cell line derived from an elective abortion performed decades ago.

The letter, seen by AFP, calls on Morrison to ensure that if the vaccine being developed by Oxford University researchers is rolled out in Australia it is not made mandatory.

It also urges him to pursue other “ethical” vaccine candidates to ensure religious objectors have a choice.

Australia last week announced a deal with AstraZeneca to manufacture the “promising” vaccine if it is proven safe and effective, with plans to offer it for free to the entire population.

Morrison initially suggested it should be made compulsory for its 25 million citizens — with an exception on medical grounds — before reversing his position.

Fisher, writing in the forthcoming edition of Catholic Weekly, says he believes it would not be unethical to receive the vaccine “if there is no alternative available” but adds he is “deeply troubled by it”.

“I’m a strong advocate of vaccinations -– and not just for COVID-19 –- as long as they are safe and ethically obtained,” he adds.

In 2017, the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life decreed that vaccinations “can be used with a clear conscience” and doing so “does not signify some sort of cooperation with voluntary abortion”.

A government spokesperson told AFP that Morrison — himself a devout Christian — “respects the views of Australia’s many religious communities and understands the issues that are being raised”.

“The government is investing in research and technology that we hope will produce a range of vaccines that will be suitable for as many Australians as possible,” the official said.

Among those is the University of Queensland’s vaccine candidate, which the official said does not contain fetal cell lines and has received Aus$5 million in government funding.

It is currently in Phase 1 efficacy trials, while the Oxford vaccine is among a handful globally that have reached Phase 3.

The Australian government estimates that up to 95 percent of the population would need to be immune to the virus for it to be eradicated.

Agence France-Presse

Wall Street dips after worldwide slide; gold nears record

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is slipping on Friday after tensions ramped higher between the world’s two largest economies, though the market pared its losses as the morning progressed.

The S&P 500 was 0.4% lower in midday trading, which would wipe out the last of its gains for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 118 points, or 0.4%, at 26,534, as of 11:30 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was down 0.5%. Each of the indexes had been down more sharply in the morning, with the Nasdaq off by as much as 2.3%.

Stocks also sank across Asian and European markets, and all the uncertainty helped gold top $1,900 per ounce, close to its record high. Treasury yields were holding relatively steady, but they remain close to their lowest levels since April.

The coronavirus pandemic remains the most dominant force in markets, with its potential to destroy lives and economies. But other risks are also bubbling up, headlined by Friday’s worsening relations between the United States and China.

Investors are also concerned about a recent uptick in layoffs as spiking coronavirus counts across the Sun Belt lead more businesses to shut down. Extra benefits for those out-of-work Americans from the federal government are set to expire soon, and worries are rising about whether Congress can reach a deal on more aid for the economy. Nearly half of Americans whose families experienced a layoff during the pandemic believe those jobs are lost forever, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Despite all those challenges, the S&P 500 remains only about 5% below its record set in February, after roaring back from an earlier, nearly 34% plummet. This week’s stall for the S&P 500 follows three straight weekly gains driven by hopes that the economy was regaining its footing. Underlying it all is massive aid for the economy promised by the Federal Reserve, including record-low interest rates.

“The Fed is the big story behind this market, that and the liquidity it’s provided,” said Teresa Jacobsen, managing director at UBS Private Wealth Management. “It gives a great deal of support for upside in the market. But, there are momentary blips when we pause and give a little back.”

On Friday, the blip came after China’s Foreign Ministry ordered the closure of the U.S. consulate in the western city of Chengdu. It echoes a similar move earlier this week by the United States to close the Chinese consulate in Houston.

Such moves have investors on edge because of how viciously markets swung in prior years when President Donald Trump was pressing his trade war with China, before they agreed to a temporary truce early this year.

“Alongside the eviction of the Houston Chinese Consulate, the risk of the U.S.-China conflict escalating into a ‘Cold War’ is worrying,” said Hayaki Narita of Mizuho Bank.

A speech Thursday by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying that “securing our freedom from the Chinese Communist Party is the mission of our time” adds to the rhetoric certain to incense Beijing, making it still more difficult for either side to back down, he said.

Technology stocks have also been in the spotlight, after a sharp slide for them on Thursday helped drag the S&P 500 to its worst loss in nearly four weeks.

Microsoft, Apple, Amazon and other giants have cruised through much of the pandemic on expectations that they can keep growing despite all the challenges for the economy. But critics say enthusiasm for them was overdone, with prices too high even after accounting for the huge profits that they can produce

Apple slipped 0.6%, Microsoft dropped 0.2%, and tech stocks as a group accounted for roughly half of the S&P 500’s loss. Earlier in the morning, Apple had been down 4%, and tech stocks were responsible for two thirds of the S&P 500′s drop.

Intel sank 15.3% after it delayed the release of its new 7 nanometer chip, and it was the biggest weight on the market Friday morning.

Earlier in the day, stocks in Shanghai sank 3.9%, while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong lost 2.2%. Elsewhere in Asia, South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.7%.

In Europe, France’s CAC 40 fell 1.5%, and Germany’s DAX lost 1.9%. The FTSE 100 in London dropped 1.3%.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury held steady at 0.58%. It tends to move with investors’ expectations for the economy and inflation.

Gold rose 0.5% to $1,900.30 per ounce, crossing above that threshold for the first time in nearly nine years. Benchmark U.S. crude slipped 14 cents to $40.93 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, lost 10 cents to $43.21 per barrel.

AP Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.

The Associated Press

Bar owners worry as virus surges in their workplaces

HOUSTON (AP) — The din of conversation and music that normally fills The Cottonmouth Club in downtown Houston fell silent last Friday when the owners shut it down for a second time during the coronavirus pandemic — a week before the Texas governor ordered all bars to follow suit amid a surge in infections.

Co-owner Michael Neff — questioning what he saw as a rush to reopen by the state and wondering if his industry was making things worse as some bars flouted rules on occupancy limits — said he felt he could no longer provide a safe environment for his staff or customers at the neighborhood bar with a rock ‘n’ roll vibe.

He and his staff had started hearing of workers at other bars getting sick.

“Texas was a terrible, terrible experiment because it experimented with people’s lives and this is where we are,” Neff said.

That ended Friday, with Gov. Greg Abbott’s announcement that bars would again be shuttered, a day after the state reported a record high of nearly 6,000 confirmed cases and on the day that Texas surpassed 5,000 hospitalizations for the first time.

Neff said while he faulted bars that ignored the rules, he also lays blame on local and state officials for what he says was a lack of guidance and support, a lack of a statewide mask order and, until recently, a lack of enforcement.





It’s a sentiment shared by other bar and restaurant owners across the state and beyond who have been deeply hurt financially by anti-virus measures and are also struggling with tough decisions, with some shutting down again after workers became infected or closing as a precaution because of rising cases in their areas.

In a nearly eight-minute video he posted online earlier this month, Neff vented his frustration, beginning with a message directed at Abbott: “You’re leading us to die.”

An email seeking comment from a spokesman for Abbott was not immediately returned Friday. During a news conference Monday, Abbott said the goal has always been to reduce cases and keep people out of hospitals.

“Texans have already shown that we don’t have to choose between jobs and health,” he added. “We can protect Texans’ lives while also restoring their livelihoods.”

From the time bars and clubs in Texas could reopen on May 22 with indoor service, social media has been filled with photos and videos showing packed businesses that were obviously not following rules on capacity and social distancing. But the first operation by the state to suspend the alcohol permits of establishments that ignored rules didn’t happen until a week ago.

In closing bars again on Friday, Abbott said the rise in confirmed cases was “largely driven by certain types of activities, including Texans congregating in bars.” Abbott also ordered restaurants to scale back to half capacity starting Monday.

He added that “every Texan has a responsibility to themselves and their loved ones to wear a mask” — but he has not mandated their use statewide. Last week, he did say cities and counties could order businesses to require that their customers wear masks.

A similar clampdown is happening in several states where confirmed infections are spiking. In some places, owners are doing it voluntarily, as Neff did. On Friday, Florida banned alcohol consumption at bars after confirmed coronavirus cases neared 9,000.

“What we realize is that despite exceeding the required protocols and with very little federal or state guidance, that more needs to be done,” Daniel Wright, the owner of five Cincinnati restaurants and bars that he shut down as a precaution, said in a Facebook post this week.

Houston’s Saint Arnold Brewing Company, which has a popular beer garden that remained mostly closed even before Friday’s order, has also had difficulty navigating what it sees as inconsistent messaging on how to operate, said company spokesman Lennie Ambrose.

“We’re going to follow the laws or the ordinances. But even if something is allowed, maybe that’s not the right thing for Saint Arnold to do from a public health standpoint,” Ambrose said.

That feeling of uncertainty is echoed elsewhere. Sean Kennedy, a spokesman for the National Restaurant Association, said his organization has told officials that the hospitality industry is “just looking for consistency, transparency and forward-looking rules.” The association has pressed local governments to increase efforts to educate customers on their responsibilities when going out, Kennedy said.

An ongoing survey by the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston of restaurants and bars in the Austin area found that many are frustrated that the governor has left it up to cities and counties to decide if they would mandate masks, said Mark Jones, one of the research fellows involved in the study.

Neff said he is worried about losing his bar and has worked to find other revenue streams, including selling cocktails to go, starting a podcast and holding a nightly virtual bar livestream. But he said he also feels a responsibility to let people know what went wrong and to help ensure that this doesn’t happen again.

“We are not going to be successful in reopening our economies if we do it the way we’ve been doing it,” he said. “And no one wants that kind of sacrifice both in business and in lives.”

___

Associated Press video journalist John Mone contributed to this report.

AP

Djokovic’s parents defend son Novak, blame another player

BELGRADE, Serbia — Novak Djokovic’s parents defended their son on Wednesday and blamed another tennis player for spreading the coronavirus at a series of exhibition matches hosted by the top-ranked player.

Djokovic and his wife tested positive for the virus on Tuesday. The 17-time Grand Slam champion then apologized online for organizing the Adria Tour events, which brought together professional players from various countries to play matches in Serbia and Croatia.


Thousands of spectators attended the matches and no social distancing was observed.


Djokovic’s outspoken father blamed the cancellation of the tour on Grigor Dimitrov, one of the three other players to test positive in the last few days. There is no evidence to suggest Dimitrov spread the virus to others.

“Why did it happen? Because that man probably came sick, who knows from where,” Srdjan Djokovic told RTL Croatia TV. “He didn’t test here, he tested somewhere else … I think that’s not fair.

“He inflicted damage to both Croatia and to us as a family in Serbia,” Srdjan Djokovic said. “Nobody is feeling well because of this situation.”


Dimitrov, a three-time Grand Slam semifinalist from Bulgaria, was the first Adria Tour participant to test positive for the virus. He was followed by Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki.

The infections raised questions about the full-fledged return of competitive tennis, including the scheduled U.S. Open in August.

“We were wrong and it was too soon,” wrote Djokovic, who has previously said he was against taking a vaccine for the virus even if it became mandatory to travel.

Dimitrov played in matches in both Belgrade and at the Croatian Adriatic resort of Zadar. He reportedly arrived in Serbia from the United States and his native Bulgaria. He did not immediately respond to The Associated Press’ request for comment while recovering from the infection in Monaco.

NBA player Nikola Jokic, a Serb who plays for the Denver Nuggets, has also tested positive for the coronavirus. He was pictured shaking hands with Djokovic at an exhibition basketball event in Belgrade this month.


Jokic is reportedly recovering in his hometown of Sombor.

Djokovic’s mother said both her son and his wife Jelena are feeling fine, but are suffering because of the widespread criticism.

“It is horrible what is being written, but we are used to it,” Dijana Djokovic told the Belgrade Blic daily newspaper.

The coronavirus outbreak led to the suspension of the ATP and WTA professional tennis tours in March. Plans were announced last week for the sport’s sanctioned events to return in August.

The U.S. Open is scheduled to begin Aug. 31 without spectators.

The Associated Press

Microsoft ends game streaming, teams up with Facebook

Microsoft said Monday it was throwing in the towel on its livestream gaming platform and teaming up with Facebook to better compete with rivals like Amazon-owned Twitch.

Microsoft Mixer will be shuttered on July 22, the tech giant said in a statement.


“It became clear that the time needed to grow our own livestreaming community to scale was out of measure with the vision and experiences that Microsoft and Xbox want to deliver for gamers now, so we’ve decided to close the operations side of Mixer and help the community transition to a new platform,” the Mixer team said.

The gamers will be encouraged to transition to Facebook Gaming, which has some 700 million people who play or watch games every month.

“We will work to transition the Mixer community over the next few weeks. Starting on July 22, all Mixer sites and apps will redirect users to Facebook Gaming,” said by Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, the gaming division of Microsoft,

Microsoft announced it was buying the livestream service Beam in August 2016 to bolster its effort to boost its ranks of people who play and watch games online.


But the service, renamed Mixer in 2017, struggled to gain traction against Twitch, Google-owned YouTube and Facebook Gaming.


Spencer said the move to shutter Mixer would allow Microsoft to focus on its other gaming efforts including “the world-class content being made by our 15 Xbox Game Studios, the evolution of Xbox Game Pass, the launch of Xbox Series X, and the global opportunity to play anywhere with Project xCloud,” referring to the cloud-based game service.

“Bringing that vision to life, for as many people as possible, will see us working with different partners, platforms, and communities for years to come,” Spencer added.

“It will also see us adjusting our strategy to best serve players wherever they gather daily, which includes the category of livestreaming.”

Agence France-Presse

Kurt Cobain’s ‘Unplugged’ guitar sells for record $6 million at auction

The guitar that grunge rock icon Kurt Cobain played during his legendary 1993 MTV Unplugged performance sold Saturday for a record $6 million (over P300 million), the auction house said.

The retro acoustic-electric 1959 Martin D-18E that Cobain strummed for Nirvana’s career-defining performance in New York, just five months before he took his own life at age 27, sold after a bidding war to Peter Freedman, founder of RODE Microphones, Julien’s Auctions said.



At $6.01 million after fees and commission, the instrument was the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction, among other records. The starting estimate was $1 million (over P50 million).

Freedman said he plans to display the guitar in a worldwide tour, with proceeds going to benefit performing arts.

“When I heard that this iconic guitar was up for auction, I immediately knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to secure it and use it as a vehicle to spotlight the struggles that those in the performing arts are facing and have always faced,” the Australian was quoted as saying by Julien’s Auctions.

The guitar was sold with its case, which Cobain had decorated with a flyer from punk rock band Poison Idea’s 1990 album “Feel the Darkness”.


Until now, the most expensive guitar in history was a Fender Stratocaster, dubbed “Black Strat”, used by Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour. It had been sold by the musician for nearly $4 million (over P200 million) during a charity sale in June 2019.

Nirvana’s acoustic performance during the taping for the popular MTV Unplugged series on November 18, 1993 became what is considered one of history’s greatest live albums.

It included renditions of Nirvana’s hits “About A Girl” and “Come As You Are”, along with covers which include David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold the World”.





 In October 2019, Cobain’s cigarette-singed cardigan worn during the “Unplugged” performance sold for $334,000 (about P16.7 million).

Agence France-Presse

Study shows how quickly coronavirus spreads at home

The novel coronavirus is twice as infectious within households than similar diseases such as SARS, with a substantial number of additional infections spreading before a COVID-19 sufferer shows any symptoms, according to modelling released Thursday.

Researchers based in China and the United States said their findings could have profound impacts on reducing the number of new infections as the pandemic progresses.

Using data on 350 COVID-19 patients and nearly 2,000 of their close contacts in the city of Guangzhou, China, the researchers estimated the virus’ “secondary attack rate” — that is, the probability that an infected person transmits the disease to someone else.

They found that while the average patient had just a 2.4% chance of infecting someone they did not live with, that figure jumped to 17.1% — around one in six — among cohabitants.



According to their models, which rely on data collated in January and February but have been updated to reflect the latest developments, the likelihood of household infection was highest among over-60s, and lowest among under-20s.

The overall chances of infecting a family member or live-in partner with COVID-19 are twice as high as with SARS, and three times higher than MERS, another coronavirus, they found.


Significantly, the researchers found that the probability of a COVID-19 carrier infecting a family member or flatmate was significantly higher — 39% — before they started showing symptoms than afterward.


This suggests that the virus is easily transmissible within its incubation period and may be passed on by individuals who don’t know they are infected.

The team said that isolation within households cut the total number of COVID-19 cases among the study cohort by 20% to 50% compared with no quarantine.

“Although the effect of case isolation seems moderate, the high infectivity of the virus during the incubation period suggests quarantine of asymptomatic contacts could have prevented more onward transmissions,” said Qin-Long Jing from the Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Many European nations, before implementing weeks-long lockdowns, issued public health advice only to stay at home if an individual was sick — that is, showing symptoms typical to the virus.

The research suggests that may have already been too late to prevent COVID-19 circulating widely.

Writing in a linked comment, Virginia Pitzer from the Yale School of Public Health said that a “key difference” between COVID-19 and other coronaviruses was its “substantially higher” probability of transmission in its incubation period.

She said the research, published in The Lancet, “confirms the relative importance of pre-symptomatic transmission and the relationship between older age and susceptibility, key insights which should inform design of intervention strategies.”

Agence France-Presse

NBA players in the Bubble can wear a ring that predicts COVID-19 contraction

To track the health of basketball teams stationed in the NBA Bubble, The Athletic reports that each player will have the option of wearing a high-tech ring that can track their probability of having contracted COVID-19.

For the 22 NBA teams still in the running to play in the playoffs currently stationed in what’s referred to as the NBA Bubble in Orlando, Florida, a handful of technologies exist to help them avoid contracting COVID-19, especially since playing a contact sport is especially risky right now.


One of these optional technologies, according to the report, is called an Oura smart ring which can track and record various physiological characteristics of the wearer like their body temperature and respiratory rate. Based on these values, the ring can determine one’s likelihood of having contracted COVID-19 three days before symptoms are observed with 90 percent accuracy.

Unless a ring alerts personnel that a player probably has the coronavirus, the recorded personal information will remain confidential.

Team staff will *not* have any access to player data from the wearable ring (should any player actually choose to wear it) aside from instances in which the "illness probability score" triggers a further medical review.

https://t.co/q7nk1cBzIa

— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) June 17, 2020

The battery of such rings, which function more or less like a FitBit in ring form, has a battery life of about a week and are durable enough to resist water and scratches. While this Oura ring comes in a variety of colors and finishes, the starting price for the most basic iteration is $299 (almost P15,000).

It’s reported that NBA players will have the option to wear this ring or not.


-AFP Relaxnews-

Google boots far-right site from ad platform

Google on Tuesday confirmed that it booted one far-right website from its ad platform and put another on notice for hosting "dangerous and derogatory" comments about civil rights protests.

The internet giant said that it stopped channeling money-making ads to ZeroHedge and warned The Federalist that it too could be blocked from Google Ads for violating policy about content.

“To be clear, The Federalist is not currently demonetized," a Google spokesperson said in response to an AFP inquiry.

"We do have strict publisher policies that govern the content ads can run on, which includes comments on the site. This is a longstanding policy."

The action against ZeroHedge and warning sent to The Federalist related to content in comments sections that consistently violated Google's policy about dangerous and derogatory content, according to the internet company.

The offending content was related to false information about recent Black Lives Matter protets, US media reported.

ZeroHedge said in a post at the website that it is appealing Google's decision and expects to "remedy" the situation.

The policy at issue was put in place by Google three years ago as part of an effort to avoid advertisers from having their marketing messages appear next to vile or hateful content on websites.

Agence France-Presse

Duterte-critic journalist convicted in Philippine libel case

Philippine journalist Maria Ressa was convicted Monday of cyber libel and faces up to six years behind bars in a case that watchdogs say marks a dangerous erosion of press freedom under President Rodrigo Duterte.

Ressa, 56, and her news site Rappler have been the target of a series of criminal charges and probes after publishing stories critical of Duterte's policies, including his drug war that has killed thousands.

The award-winning former CNN journalist was sentenced to up to six years' jail in the culmination of a case that has drawn international concern.

It was not immediately clear how long she would actually have to serve if the conviction becomes final, and Judge Rainelda Estacio-Montesa allowed Ressa to remain free on bail pending an appeal.

"We are going to stand up against any kind of attacks against press freedom," a defiant Ressa told journalists after the conviction in Manila.

"I began as a reporter in 1986 and I have worked in so many countries around the world, I have been shot at and threatened but never this kind of death by a thousand cuts," she said.

Monday's verdict decided a trial that stemmed from a businessman's 2017 complaint over a Rappler story five years earlier about his alleged ties to a then-judge on the nation's top court.

Ressa, who Time magazine named as a Person of the Year in 2018, did not write the article and government investigators initially dismissed the businessman's allegation.

But state prosecutors later filed charges against her and Reynaldo Santos, the former Rappler journalist who wrote it, under a controversial cyber crime statute aimed at online offences such as stalking and child pornography.

Santos was also found guilty on Monday and allowed to remain free on bail.

The law they are accused of violating took effect in September 2012, months after the article was published.

But prosecutors say Rappler's typographical correction to the story in 2014 to change "evation" to "evasion" was a substantial modification and the article was thus covered by the law.

- 'Assault on independent media' -

Duterte's spokesman Harry Roque said the president backs free speech and has never filed a libel case against a journalist while in government.

"The president supports freedom of expression and freedom of the press. I hope that's clear," Roque said.

But rights groups and press advocates say the libel charge along with a series of tax cases against Rappler, and a government move to strip the news site of its licence, amount to state harassment.

"Ressa... and the Rappler team are being singled out for their critical reporting of the Duterte administration," Amnesty International said.

"With this latest assault on independent media, the human rights record of the Philippines continues its free fall."

Human Rights Watch said the case "will reverberate not just in the Philippines, but in many countries that long considered the country a robust environment for media freedom".

The Philippines has fallen in the Reporters Without Borders press freedom index to 136 out of 180 nations and territories.

Ressa's verdict comes just over a month after government regulators forced off the air the nation's top broadcaster ABS-CBN, following years of threats by Duterte to shut down the network.

Both Rappler and ABS-CBN have reported extensively on Duterte's anti-drugs campaign in which police have gunned down alleged dealers and users in operations condemned by rights groups.

Some of the crackdown's highest-profile critics have wound up behind bars, including Senator Leila de Lima, who is serving three years in jail on drug charges she insists were fabricated to silence her.

In 2018, Duterte denounced Rappler as a "fake news outlet" and subsequently banned Ressa and her colleagues from his public engagements.

Agence France-Presse

Wall Street hits the brakes after strong, weekslong rally

Wall Street hit the brakes Tuesday, a day after its remarkable, weekslong rally brought the S&P 500 back to positive for the year and the Nasdaq to a record high.

The S&P 500 was down 0.9% in midday trading, after earlier being down as much as 1.2%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 283 points, or 1%, to 27,281, and the Nasdaq composite was up 0.1%.

Skeptics have been saying for weeks that Wall Street’s huge rally, which reached 44.5% between late March and Monday, may have been overdone. The economy has given glimmers of hope that the recession could end relatively quickly as governments lift their lockdown orders, but the stock market has been soaring much more quickly than the economy and corporate profits are expected to.

“We’re seeing a little bit of a pause and a little bit of a reversal,” said Bill Northey, senior investment director at U.S. Bank Wealth Management. “Some of that is an appropriate reconciliation with the pace for the restart.”

IMPACT ON THE ECONOMY:

– Medicaid rolls swell in New Mexico amid economic turmoil
– A US recession began in February in the face of coronavirus
– Virus tourism impact gives Maui state's top jobless rate

In another sign of increased caution, the yield on the 10-year Treasury yield fell to 0.81% from 0.88% late Monday. It tends to move with investors’ expectations of the economy and inflation, though it’s still well above the 0.64% level where it started last week.

European stock markets were also lower. Germany’s DAX lost 1.4% after the country reported that its exports fell by a quarter in April. France’s CAC 40 slid 1.5%, and the FTSE 100 in London dropped 2.1%.

Asian markets were mixed. Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped 0.4% after the government reported that wages fell in April as the country widened precautions to fight the coronavirus pandemic, which caused some businesses to close or limit their operations. But the Hang Seng in Hong Kong rose 1.1% and South Korea’s Kospi added 0.2%.

Wall Street has been generally rising since late March, at first on relief following emergency rescues by the Federal Reserve and Congress. More recently, investors have begun piling into companies that would benefit most from a reopening economy that’s growing again.

Banks, airlines, energy companies and others whose profits need the economy to get closer to normal have been leading the way in recent weeks. They got a big boost on Friday when the government said that employers surprisingly added jobs to their payrolls last month, a sign that the economy could pull out of the recession that began in February relatively quickly.

But such companies went into reverse on Tuesday. American Airlines and Alaska Air Group both fell more than 9% for some of the sharpest losses in the S&P 500, a day after they were near the top of the leaderboard.

Stocks in the energy, financial and industrial sectors fell more than the rest of the market, also mirroring their performance from a day before. Technology and communication services companies rose.

Smaller stocks also pulled back following a furious run. The Russell 2000 index of small-cap stocks fell 2.1%, after a 10.2% rally in a little more than a week.

Skeptics of the rally have been saying that many risks still lurk ahead on the long road to a full recovery. Chief among them is the possibility of a second wave of coronavirus infections, which could lead states across the country and nations around the world to tighten up on lockdown measures that could again choke the economy. Plus, one month of improving jobs data does not necessarily mean a trend.

The next big milestone for markets is coming Wednesday, when the Federal Reserve announces its decision on monetary policy following a two-day meeting. The Fed’s promise of immense, unprecedented amounts of aid helped stocks begin their rally, and investors want to see what their reaction will be to the recent upturn in jobs numbers.

___

AP Business Writer Yuri Kageyama contributed.

The Associated Press

Smartphone tool helps users keep social distance

SAN FRANCISCO — Smartphone users have a new way to keep their distance  – a tool that lets them know when people are getting closer than pandemic guidelines recommend.

The Google-developed Sodar tool available this week taps into Android smartphone cameras to put users in the center of a white circle with a radius of about two meters, or 6.5 feet.


The perimeter, determined based on pandemic social distancing guidelines, is made using the same kind of augmented reality technology in smartphone games such as Pokemon Go.

Circles superimposed on surroundings move with users, keeping smartphones in the center. Users get a visual warning when they are within the potentially hazardous radius.




Sodar works through Google-made Chrome browsers on Android smartphones that support augmented reality, according to the California-based internet firm.

“This experiment uses (the application program interface) WebXR to visualize 2-meter social-distancing guidelines in your environment,” a message at the website said.


The tool came out of an “Experiments With Google” project on technology hacks to help people cope with the coronavirus pandemic.

Agence France-Presse

Silicon Valley perks up its ears for buzzy audio chat startup

It's a secret, almost. But Silicon Valley is buzzing over a new audio-chat social network which is struggling to keep people out even as it hits an eye-popping value.

The invitation-only platform called Clubhouse lets people drop in on conversations ranging from weighty topics such as artificial intelligence to light-hearted trivia contests.

Silicon Valley venture capital colossus Andreessen Horowitz reportedly invested $12 million in Clubhouse at a valuation of $100 million, edging out rivals eager to get into the hot startup.

Clubhouse has won devotees even though it remains in a "beta" test mode and only has some 1,500 users as it tunes its platform for the masses.

The service has struck a chord with people longing for a return to the time when people could casually engage new acquaintances in banter or discussion.

The startup has been helped by some celebrities such as actor Kevin Hart popping in to conversations which have been growing during the pandemic as people turn increasingly to social media.

"With social distancing, we're all so craving being out and meeting people that, for people who miss that, it's like a godsend," said Nathan Baschez, a business strategy specialist who accepted a Clubhouse invitation two months ago when there was just a single virtual room.

Clubhouse founders Paul Davison and Rohan Seth have been noticeably out of the media spotlight as they seek a niche for the new social platform, which has no website or media team. Andreessen Horowitz has not commented publicly.

- 'Dinner Party' -

Sheel Mohnot, a Silicon Valley investor who joined Clubhouse about six weeks ago, said he came out a cash winner in a trivia game being played in one room, and was the topic of a "discussion party" about a dating contest in which he was a participant.

"It really feels like a great dinner party," Mohnot said.

"It's a product I am really enjoying, at the expense of Netflix."

Mohnot conceded that Clubhouse is benefitting from users having more time available due to the pandemic keeping them at home. He estimated he spends about 15 hours weekly on the service.

"Normally, I have dinner plans several times a week and can't spend all that time talking with strangers on the internet," Mohnot said.

Clubhouse joins other startups vying for consumer attention as Facebook, Google, and Microsoft ramp up online meetings and collaboration offerings.

But in the case of Clubhouse it's not looking for the popular Silicon Valley term "eyeballs", since it frees users from needing to be in front of screens.

- Elitist or cautious? -

Some who haven't been admitted to the Clubhouse, and even some who have been invited, have called the platform elitist.

But users interviewed by AFP countered that Clubhouse is limiting users while it tunes the freshly launched service to handle the load.

If Clubhouse crashes after opening to the world, people might leave and not return.

"The reason it is locked down is not because they want to create a velvet-rope, VIP type atmosphere," said Baschez.

"The founders don't think like that. It does build the buzz, but I genuinely believe they don't like the buzz."

One room calling itself "Back of the Bus" underscores the notion that Clubhouse is more about conviviality than celebrities or events.

"Back of the Bus", favored by Mohnot among others, is a riotous, unrestrained chat where moderators make sure everyone has the chance to talk about anything -- other than tech.

When it opens to all, Clubhouse will likely face challenges including maintaining a sense of community; preventing abusive behavior, and dealing with misleading content.

It will also need to find a way to make money without tainting the experience.

"I think with the funding and celebrity relationship they have built, they won't die any time soon," said Bobby Thakkar, a tech industry product manager who confided that he spends 25 hours or more at Clubhouse weekly.

Agence France-Presse

France looks past Google, Apple for virus contact tracing

France, which has long been sceptical of the growing power of US tech titans, is seeking to bypass Apple and Google for a smartphone app to help trace people infected with the novel coronavirus.

The move, which leaves France relatively isolated in Europe alongside Britain and Norway, reflects differences on how such apps should be structured, who has access to sensitive data and their effectiveness.

A number of countries have already deployed "contact tracing" apps on smartphones that track a person's contacts and alert them if need be, generating vital information to help contain outbreaks and slow the spread of the virus as nations ease lockdowns and get back to work.

These apps can be based either on a decentralised or centralised architecture.

A decentralised architecture keeps the information about whom a person has been in contact with on the smartphone.

If the person declares themselves to have been infected by the coronavirus, then those people deemed to have been in close contact for an extended period receive a notification to isolate themselves and get tested.

In a centralised system the data is managed by an authority, say a national health service, that would have access to the data to ensure those who are exposed are indeed following the proper health and isolation recommendations.

Apple and Google banded together last month to develop coronavirus contact tracing technology that would work across their operating systems.

The technology, set to be released later this month, embraces a decentralised architecture that would enable smartphone users to control their own data, and choose whether to notify the authorities if they have been exposed.

- Titans setting the terms -

Numerous tech experts and privacy advocates prefer a decentralised option because of data privacy concerns, worried about governments establishing databases that could be used for surveillance, even after the pandemic.

But France, along with London, contest that argument and prefer a centralised architecture that will provide them with the information needed to ensure the spread of the disease is effectively contained.

Norway also opted for a centralised system for its "Smittestop" or "stop infection" app launched last month.


Being dependent on Apple and Google means "staying in an extremely restrictive framework for usage" of the data, said a source close to France's contract tracing effort.

"It is Google and Apple who are defining the debate" in what is essentially a public health issue, the source added.

To become an effective tool for public health authorities, a contact tracing app has to be widely used -- experts say by at least 60 percent of the population -- but also provide them with needed information about who is getting sick as well as where, which can be important for taking quick measures to close hotspots.

Decentralised apps that make use of the Bluetooth radios on smartphones can be built so they do not even record the location of where people are in contact.

Nations cannot easily go around Apple and Google and develop their own apps as Apple in particular makes it difficult to keep Bluetooth enabled in its operating system.

People would need to keep the app open at all times, an inconvenience that would likely lead to many people not having it running on their phones.

- Systems rolled out -

So far Apple has resisted pleas from France and other countries for help to get around that technical issue.

While the European Commission has not yet taken a formal position on the options, it acknowledges a decentralised system is better on data privacy grounds.

"If both approaches can be in conformity with data protection laws, from a point of view of minimising the collection of data, the decentralised approach is preferable as less data would be stored" on a centralised server, a Commission spokesman told AFP.

Several European countries are expected to roll out contact tracing apps in June, which should provide some indication as to the best strategies.

France hopes to have its app in operation on June 2, and the official leading its development has said it will work very well on an iPhone despite Apple's lack of cooperation.

The technology arm of Britain's National Health Service has been testing its centralised system on the Isle of Wight since May 5 and plans to unroll it nationwide in the coming weeks.

Germany has opted for a decentralised system compatible with the Apple/Google initiative that it hopes will be ready in several weeks.

Italy, which has also gone for a decentralised system, should have its app ready by the end of May, Innovation Minister Paola Pisano told the Corriere della Sera daily on Monday.

In Austria, the Red Cross has launched an app based on a centralised model that has 600,000 users, but it is expected to evolve into a decentralised application.

Switzerland is currently testing its decentralised app.

Agence France-Presse

Lebron James, Spotify, HBO among 2020 Webby Award winners

Jimmy Fallon, Spotify and HBO are among the 2020 Webby Award winners for internet excellence.

The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences announced the winners Tuesday.

Fallon’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” won a Webby for best social media for promoting a celebrity, while James was honored for his ESPN’s “Welcome to Bron Bron Land,” which took home the best user interface award.

This year’s Webby From Home is dedicated to honoring individuals and organizations who are using the internet in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Kristen Bell won for helping children understand the pandemic, while DJ D-Nice won artist of the year for his #ClubQuarantine sets on Instagram Live. Avi Schiffmann, a 17-year-old from Washington state, was honored for launching an early COVID-19 tracking database and site. John Krasinksi was also honored for his “Some Good News” show, which was created to uplift spirits after the pandemic.

Google and National Geographic won the most awards with 14 each. NASA came away with the best overall social presence.

Lil Nas X’s “Panini” won a Webby for people’s voice award for best art direction. Spotify scored an award for best use of online media, while HBO claimed best branded editorial experience.

Tom Hanks’ “#NiceTweets with Tom Hanks” won a people’s voice award for arts and entertainment.

Patton Oswalt will host the 24th annual Webby Awards’ beginning at 3 p.m. EDT.

___

This story has been corrected to show Fallon’s win was for social, not website, and that the celebration is called Webby from Home, not Webby Home Internet Celebration.

Associated Press

5 Benefits on How to Protect Your Mortgage With Life Insurance

For potential homebuyers and current homeowners, a home is a costly investment with a long-term commitment. That's why every homeowner carrying a mortgage needs to get life insurance. Life insurance that covers a mortgage is called mortgage life insurance or mortgage protection insurance. This kind of insurance is designed to protect the lender, just in case they are unable to pay for their monthly mortgage fees. In this article, let's highlight five benefits on how to protect your mortgage with life insurance.

1. May protect homeowners due to sudden unemployment

With Canada's unemployment rate fluctuating every year, sometimes homeowners might face unexpected job loss due to termination or disability. The benefit of having mortgage life insurance alleviates the stress and financial burden related to unemployment by covering the period when the homeowner is out of work. At Northwood Mortgage, we offer a series of mortgage life insurance options that target the specific time frame if a homeowner loses their job, falls ill, or becomes physically disabled, causing unemployment.

2. May protect homeowners due to unexpected death

If the homeowner dies, the mortgage life insurance will cover the remaining amount left on the mortgage. Along with unemployment, death in the family can cause financial strain, especially when the homeowner passes away. Mortgage life insurance is a great benefit because homeowners are assured that after death, the mortgage will not become their family's responsibility.

3. Mortgage life insurance frees up your budget

When it comes to having mortgage life insurance, homeowners can free up their budget by the funds they get from other insurance policies. For example, the funds received from a personal life insurance or employer benefits could be used for payments on other financial obligations such as car payments, other bills, and university tuition. What would usually go towards the mortgage can be spent wisely on other expenses because the homeowner has mortgage life insurance.

4. Mortgage life insurance is convenient

Another benefit that mortgage life insurance offers is convenience. By covering unemployment, death, and other bills, it is an added layer of security in case unexpected circumstances should occur. With all its benefits, it is also easy to qualify. To purchase a mortgage life insurance policy, homeowners do not require to submit to a life insurance medical exam. This is a very convenient benefit to have for sickly individuals. In case the homeowner is denied life insurance due to medical illness, the homeowner with mortgage life insurance is financially protected.

5.Mortgage life insurance accommodates new homebuyers

For potential first-time homebuyers who can only afford a small down payment, getting mortgage life insurance can secure the home of their dreams. They can use mortgage life insurance through the Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation, which requires a 5% downpayment.

Northwood Mortgage
As you can see, choosing a mortgage insurance policy should be decided carefully. However, investing in mortgage insurance can safeguard you and your family's future in the long run.

At Northwood Mortgage, we have an expert staff of mortgage agents specializing in life insurance and mortgages in Toronto, Brampton, Mississauga, and the GTA. We take the time to listen to your needs, and we cater our services to each client.

If you would like more information on mortgage insurance coverage and protection in Toronto and the GTA, we invite you to book a FREE consultation with one of our Northwood Mortgage agents by calling 416-969-8130 ext. 111, toll-free at 888-492-3690, or contact us here. Once we receive your request, one of our mortgage agents will contact you within 24-48 hours to arrange an appointment.

northwoodmortgage.com

Buzzfeed closes news operations in Britain, Australia

SYDNEY — Groundbreaking website Buzzfeed said on Thursday that it would be shuttering part of its loss-making news operations in Britain and Australia, as it scales back global ambitions to cut costs.

“For economic and strategic reasons, we are going to focus on news that hits big in the United States during this difficult period,” a company spokesperson said.


Many news outlets have been hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic, with plummeting advertising revenues and already struggling operations pushed deeper into the red.

Ten staff in Britain and four in Australia will be furloughed, in a move that is expected to become permanent.

The company will no longer cover local news in the two countries, but said: “In the UK, we still plan on retaining some employees who are focused on news with a global audience — social news, celebrity, and investigations.”

The four Australian posts were “no longer essential during this time of sharply limited resources,” the company added.

Once maligned as a funnel for little more than celebrity gossip, clickbait lists and cat pictures, Buzzfeed has developed into a news force to rival more established outlets.

“BuzzFeed gave us space to experiment with covering politics for a young audience,” Australian news editor Lane Sainty tweeted.

She lauded her staff’s work to “tackle important and often under-covered beats like abortion, LGBTQ rights, Indigenous affairs, immigration and internet culture.”

“I’ve always been grateful for that & very proud of our work.”

More cost-cutting measures are expected, including in the United States, where “workshare programs” are being touted as a way of avoiding furloughs.



“Those options need to meet our savings goals, be legally and logistically workable, and allow us to keep producing kinetic, powerful journalism,” Buzzfeed said.

This year “news will spend about $10 million more than it takes in,” it added.

Agence France-Presse

Coronavirus interrupts world’s longest-running cartoon

Production of the world’s longest-running cartoon and a mainstay of the Japanese weekend has been interrupted by the coronavirus, forcing the broadcast of re-runs for the first time in decades.

“Sazae-san”, which first aired in 1969, revolves around the life of Mrs. Sazae, a cheerful but klutzy full-time housewife who lives with her parents, husband, son, brother and sister.


The 30-minute episodes aired Sunday nights are very popular, and for many in Japan have come to denote the end of the weekend.

But the cartoon, recognized as the longest-running animated TV series by Guinness World Records, has been hampered by the outbreak of the virus, with animation dubbing halted to keep staff safe, broadcaster Fuji Television Network said.

“We will halt broadcast of new episodes of ‘Sazae-san’ for the time being from May 17 and instead air re-runs,” it announced on Sunday.

The network said upcoming broadcasts would be episodes from two years ago, adding it would announce a date for the resumption of new episodes as soon as possible.


It is the first time the network has been forced to air re-runs since 1975, when the economic effects of an earlier oil crisis lingered.

Japan has seen a comparatively small coronavirus outbreak with nearly 15,800 infections and 621 deaths.

The country is under a state of emergency that was extended last week until the end of May, though the government is considering lifting the measures early in parts of the country.

Agence France-Presse

Australian charged over 80s alleged hate crime murder of gay American

More than 30 years after American Scott Johnson was killed in a suspected gay hate crime in Australia, police said Tuesday they had arrested and charged a man with his murder.

Detectives arrested the 49-year-old in the leafy Sydney suburb of Lane Cove on Tuesday and laid murder charges the same day.

The suspect's name was not released.

The breakthrough in the cold case came two months after the victim's family doubled a police reward in the case to Aus$2 million (US$1.3 million).

The 27-year-old mathematician Johnson's naked body was found at the base of a cliff in the Sydney suburb of Manly in December 1988, and police at the time ruled his death a suicide.

But a coroner found in 2017 that it was likely Johnson had been killed in a hate crime, suggesting he was either pushed over the cliff or fell while trying to escape unidentified assailants.

The inquest found that gangs roamed Sydney at the time searching for gay men to attack, and had been known to rob or assault men at the "gay beat" where Johnson's folded clothing was discovered.

In 2018, police announced an Aus$1 million reward for information leading to an arrest in the case, which was doubled when Johnson's brother, Steve, matched the amount in March.

Steve Johnson, who had long pushed police to investigate his brother's death, said it was "remarkable" the alleged killer had been apprehended almost 32 years later.

"This is a very emotional day. Emotional for me, emotional for my family who... love Scott dearly," he said in a video statement.

"It's emotional, I'm sure, for the gay community for whom Scott had come to symbolise the many dozens of other gay men who lost their lives in the 1980s and '90s in a world full of anti-gay prejudice and hatred."

In 2018, New South Wales police acknowledged that at least 27 murders between the 1970s and 2000 were homophobic hate crimes, admitting the force had played a part in marginalising the LGBT community and enabling society's "acceptance of shocking violence directed at gay men" during the period.

"It is clear and beyond question that levels of violence inflicted upon gay men in particular were elevated, extreme and often brutal," police said at the time.

The suspect in Johnson's murder is due to appear in a local Sydney court on Wednesday.

Agence France-Presse

Original artwork for Led Zeppelin’s first LP to hit auction block

The Led Zeppelin album cover will be on offer as part of Christie’s “The Open Book: Fine Travel, Americana, Literature and History in Print and Manuscript sale,” which will take place online from June 2 through 18.

The cover art for Led Zeppelin’s self-titled debut album features a black-and-white photograph of the burning Hindenburg airship, which was photographed by Sam Shere in May 1937.

The artwork was created by British graphic designer and illustrator George Hardie in 1969, when he was still a graduate student at the Royal College of Art.

After rejecting his initial ideas, Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page suggested that Hardie adapt Shere’s photograph of the Hindenburg disaster.

Hardie created the cover illustration for “Led Zeppelin” by rendering the photograph in ink using a rapidograph pen to avoid potential copyright issues, with the band paying him $60 (P3,000) for the work.

“The idea of it was to use the impact of this but use it in a graphic interpretation. The fact is that it was the right thing to do because it’s really an iconic image plus it’s Led Zeppelin’s first album so it’s really good to go in there, not quite like a lead balloon, but like a streaming rocket… It’s a dramatic incident, it’s a dramatic album, it’s a dramatic statement,” Page said of the album cover to Time magazine in 2016.


Hardie later designed album covers for rock musicians and bands like Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, Wings and numerous others, many in collaboration with British art design group Hipgnosis.

The original illustration for “Led Zeppelin,” once listed among Time‘s 100 most influential images of all time, will now go under the hammer at Christie’s with an estimate between $20,000 and $30,000 (P1 million to P1.5 million).

“The historical significance of this album cover cannot be understated. It marked a major turning point in the history of pop music, heralded by the debut of Led Zeppelin… And the image has endured in a way that most other album covers have not; it very much has taken on a life of its own,” Peter Klarnet, senior specialist, books & manuscripts for Christie’s, said in a statement.

Aside from the cover illustration of Led Zeppelin’s eponymous debut, Christie’s will also auction the first dated printing of “The Star-Spangled Banner”.

This newspaper printing of what would become the national anthem was published in the Baltimore Patriot and Evening Advertiser on September 20, 1814, under its original title, “The Defence of Fort M’Henry”.


This rare printing includes all four original verses of “The Star-Spangled Banner”, which were completed by Francis Scott Key only three days before being printed in the Baltimore Patriot and Evening Advertiser.

The issue is estimated to sell for between $300,000 and $500,000 (P15 million to P25 million), with proceeds from the sale going to the American Antiquarian Society to benefit their collections acquisitions fund.

AFP Relaxnews

Earthquake of magnitude 6.9 strikes Kepulauan Babar, Indonesia —EMSC

JAKARTA — A powerful earthquake struck eastern Indonesia on Wednesday, causing some residents to flee their homes, but there were no immediate reports of damage and the country's meteorology agency ruled out the risk of a tsunami.

The magnitude 6.9 quake struck in the Banda Sea, the European Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC) said, and was at a depth of 117 km (73 miles). The US Geological Survey gave a preliminary magnitude of 6.8.

The earthquake was not capable of generating a tsunami affecting the Indian Ocean region, the Indonesia Tsunami Service Provider said.

A resident on the island of Kisar in Maluku province said they felt the earthquake for a few minutes and said people ran out of the houses in panic.

"People were asleep, we screamed. People ran because of the quake, beds shook," said Oce Karmomyana, who said there had been no damage.

Indonesia is situated on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, which is frequently hit by earthquakes that are sometimes accompanied by tsunamis.

The most devastating in recent Indonesian history was on Dec. 26 in 2004, when a magnitude 9.5 quake triggered a massive tsunami that killed around 226,000 people along the shorelines of the Indian Ocean, including more than 126,000 in Indonesia.

In 2018, a tsunami hit the city of Palu in Sulawesi island, killing thousands. — Reuters

YouTube expands fact-check panels in move against misinformation

YouTube on Tuesday began adding fact-check panels to search results in the United States for videos on hot-topic claims shown to be bogus.

The Google-owned video streaming service said it is expanding to the U.S. a fact-check information panel feature launched last year in Brazil and India.


Fact-check information panels highlight credible findings by third-parties so YouTube viewers can make informed decisions about claims, according to the company.

“Over the past several years, we’ve seen more and more people coming to YouTube for news and information,” the service said.

“The outbreak of COVID-19 and its spread around the world has reaffirmed how important it is for viewers to get accurate information during fast-moving events.”

YouTube described the fact-check feature as part of ongoing efforts to raise the profile of authoritative sources while reducing the spread of misinformation.


Two years ago, YouTube began testing panels providing vetted sources of information on topics prone to bogus assertions such as the world being flat.


“We’re now using these panels to help address an additional challenge: Misinformation that comes up quickly as part of a fast-moving news cycle, where unfounded claims and uncertainty about facts are common,” YouTube said.

Fact-check panels will be shown at YouTube when people search on specific claims found to be false, such as COVID-19 being a bioweapon, according to the company.

YouTube said that more than a dozen U.S. organizations including FactCheck.org and PolitiFact were partners in the effort.

It will take time for the feature to fully ramp up at YouTube, which planned to expand it to more countries as the accuracy of the system improved.

Agence France-Presse

Sun worshippers: Indonesians soak up the rays to battle virus

From shirtless soldiers to teens suntanning on their parents' driveways, Indonesians are soaking up rays like never before in the hope that plentiful sunshine will ward off coronavirus.

The rush to take up a practice usually associated with Bali-bound foreigners has been driven by unfounded claims on social media that sunlight -- and the vitamin D it supplies -- can slow or kill the virus.

That hope got a boost last week when a senior US official said new research showed sunlight quickly destroys the virus. The study has yet to be evaluated independently, but US President Donald Trump spoke about it enthusiastically during a press conference.

"I always avoided the sun before because I didn't want to get tanned," said Theresia Rikke Astria, a 27-year-old housewife in Indonesia's cultural capital Yogyakarta.

"But I'm hoping this will strengthen my immune system," she added.

Medics have their doubts, but say a 15-minute burst of morning sunshine can be good for you.

"Exposing the body to direct sunlight is good to get vitamin D, not to directly prevent the disease," said Dr. Dirga Sakti Rambe at Jakarta’s OMNI Pulomas Hospital.

Vitamin D, which comes from fish, eggs, milk and sunlight exposure, is important in maintaining a healthy immune system, he said, but added: "Sunbathing does not kill the virus that causes COVID-19."

Whatever the science, one thing is for sure: there is no shortage of sunshine in the tropical 5,000-kilometre- (3,100-mile-) long Southeast Asian archipelago.


The rush outdoors has led to an Indonesian government warning about the dangers of skin cancer, and calls for novice sun-seekers to slap on protection.

It was a rare caution in a place where sunbathing is not practised widely and beauty product commercials extol the virtues of fair skin.

Across Asia, pale skin has long been associated with a higher social class and skin-lightening products are big sellers.

Muslim majority Indonesia's relatively conservative dress codes -- especially for women -- mean skimpy swimwear isn't a feature of the new craze.

- 'Asian skin tone' -

But the pandemic has made a convert of Rio Zikrizal, even if he struggles with the idea of soaking his shirtless torso in the sun.

"In normal times I'd be reluctant to sunbathe," the Jakarta resident said.

"I've got an Asian skin tone which gets dark easily so I often use products to make my skin lighter."

Nabillah Ayu, who lives on the outskirts of the capital Jakarta, starts her newly adopted sunbathing routine around 10 am -- when she used to be in the office -- in the hopes of avoiding the deadly respiratory disease.

"Sunlight can't directly kill coronavirus, but it can boost the immune system and stop you from getting it," the 22-year-old said.

Bare-chested suntan sessions have been incorporated into morning exercise routines for some military and police units.

And in major cities, residents are flocking from neighbourhoods crammed with narrow, dark alleyways to open areas -- including commuter train tracks -- where they can catch some unobstructed rays.

It is a motley mix of women in head-covering hijabs with rolled up sleeves and pants, shirtless male teens and wrinkly pensioners all clamouring for a bit of sunshine as the odd train zips by.

"I've just started sunbathing regularly since the pandemic hit," Alfian, who goes by one name, told AFP near train tracks in Tangerang on the edge of Jakarta.

"Afterwards I take a shower and my body feels fitter."

Pensioner Wadianto Wadito, who suffers from heart disease and diabetes, figures he can use all the help he can get.

"I'm already taking a lot of medicines anyway, so now I'm sunbathing to get all my vitamins without taking more pills," the 65-year-old said.

Agence France-Presse

Self-isolation? Some in Georgia choose beach instead

After being locked down for weeks, many residents in Georgia are thumbing their noses at the deadly coronavirus and seeking sanctuary in the sun, sand and waves of the southern state's beaches.

Under a cloudless blue sky with balmy temperatures and soft breezes rolling off the water, Tybee Island proved a powerful weekend lure Saturday for Georgians desperate for any return to normalcy -- and an escape from self-imposed isolation.

"How long are we supposed to imprison ourselves?" a bikini-clad Mackenzie Scharf, 30, said to AFP as her five-year-old son flew a Spider Man kite.

"This is much safer than going grocery shopping."

One day after Georgia's governor allowed a limited reopening of thousands of businesses, several hundred people were enjoying Tybee Island's sprawling South Beach.

It feels great -- like it's supposed to feel," said 39-year-old mother and housewife Rachel Lilly, barely lifting her head from a watermelon-themed towel as she enjoyed her first beach trip of the year.

"I'm not concerned" about catching coronavirus, "as long as it's not packed," she said. "But if everyone does what we're doing, that's a problem."

Locals said Saturday was the busiest beach day of the year so far for Tybee Island, a laid-back tourist destination on Georgia's Atlantic coast.

Several hundred people were on the sand strolling, jogging, throwing footballs or wading in the mild waves.

Social distancing was generally in effect. But masks or other protective gear? Forget about it.

"It's just nice to, you know, come up for a little air," silver-haired attorney Brian Monroe, 49, said after throwing a Frisbee with his daughter.

"When the beach is sparsely populated like this it's not too hard to social distance."

Tybee Island authorities nevertheless were patrolling the sand on all-wheel drive vehicles, cautioning people about distancing.

One block off the sand, sun-splashed youths wearing sandals and long swim trunks scanned their phones and held red plastic cups as they rode cruiser bikes through quiet streets.

The smell of sunblock lingered. A motorcycle group rumbled down the main drag, Butler Avenue. Restaurants and smoothie shops were providing take-out for beachgoers.

- 'Get it on' -

This was not the scene that Tybee Island's Mayor Shirley Sessions envisioned.


She shut the community's beaches several weeks ago as a measure to contain viral spread. But this month Georgia Governor Brian Kemp overruled her with an order of his own.

Neighbors South Carolina and Florida have both opened some of their beaches.

But Georgia has gone further. On Friday, Kemp gave permission for some small businesses to re-open statewide, including barber shops, bowling alleys and nail salons, provided protective health measures were in place.

Restaurants and social clubs can open come Monday.

Realtor and 40-year Tybee Island resident Harold Heyman said he's all for Georgia and other states throwing the doors of their businesses wide open, health concerns be damned.

"Get it on," the bronzed and shirtless 75-year-old grinned as he walked toward his beachside home.

Heyman scoffed about the concern someone his age might have about contracting a virus which has already infected more than 925,000 people in the United States, 53,000 of whom have died.

As for defying a crisis to hang out at the beach, swim, and soak up the sun, "this is my way of being healthy," he added.

Eighteen miles (29 kilometers) inland in Savannah, Georgia's historic city that draws some 14 million visitors per year, conditions were more gloomy.

Many of Savannah's hotels and restaurants are temporarily closed, and its famed haunted tours have also been halted.

Locals rode through town on bicycles but few tourists were walking the historic streets or snapping photographs in Chippewa Square.

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said he believes it is "absolutely premature" to open, given the city has yet to meet White House guidelines for opening up business, including 14 straight days of declining infections.

Johnson has also urged faith leaders not to hold church services Sunday.

Agence France-Presse

Giro d'Italia cyclist turns delivery man to stay fit

He really should be training for the Giro d'Italia instead of making deliveries during the coronavirus pandemic. But how else is a professional Italian cyclist supposed to stay fit?

At least that is what Umberto Marengo was thinking when he decided to pull on his lycra and start hauling pasta and pizza across the suburbs of the northern Italian city of Turin.

Marengo and his little Italian team Vini Zabu-KTM are still trying to gain a measure of respectability on the professional tour circuit.

The KTM riders considered themselves lucky to have even qualified for one of the three Grand Tours.



But the Giro will not be starting on May 9 because of the virus that has officially killed almost 26,000 across the Mediterranean country.

The 27-year-old had little to do but sit at home with his girlfriend. The subject of ice cream came up and Marengo's new career soon followed.

"We searched the internet and found this ice cream parlour making home deliveries," Marengo recalls.

"So I began to wonder if I couldn't find some people who needed someone to make their deliveries for them."

Marengo got in touch with the mayor and was soon speeding along abandoned city streets on his racing bike -- a rucksack full of deli sandwiches strapped to his back.

"The customers are all amazed," Marengo admits.

"Especially since I always try to go up by the stairs to stay that little bit fitter."

- 'Clear my head' -

The pandemic has played as much havoc with the global sports schedule as it has with most other aspects of life.

The Giro has still not been rescheduled and the timeframe for the two other major cycling races -- the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana -- is unknown.

But Italy is preparing to ease its way out of what is now the world's longest active national lockdown when the current restrictions expire on May 3.

Marengo and the other riders will soon drop what they are doing and enter extreme training regimes.

The KLM rider says delivering food has been rewarding -- although maybe not terribly useful for staying racer-fit.

"This is mainly to stay useful to my community," he says.


He makes up to 30 deliveries a day and has managed to set a personal lockdown record by riding 70 kilometres (45 miles) in a day -- less than half the average length of a single stage.

Marengo conceded that he will probably have a lot of ground to make up when he makes his last delivery once Italians' stay-at-home orders are lifted.

"This really has nothing to do with normal training, even if I try to make every delivery as quickly as possible," Marengo says.

But at least he has managed to avoid being pushed through punishing routines at the gym -- now closed -- by his trainer.

"I never liked it," Marengo says of the tedious hours at the gym.

"That's another reason I started making deliveries. It allows me to clear my head."

Agence France-Presse

The coronavirus cancels Oktoberfest in Germany

BERLIN — This year’s Oktoberfest in Munich has been called off because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The cancellation of the world-famous annual celebration of beer, which was supposed to run from September 19 to October 4, underlines expectations that the way back to normal life will be very long.

The Oktoberfest typically draws about 6 million visitors every year to the packed festival grounds in Bavaria’s capital.

Bavarian governor Markus Soeder said after meeting Munich’s mayor Tuesday: “We agreed that the risk is simply too high.” He added that “you can neither keep your distance nor work with facial protection” at the Oktoberfest.

Soeder noted that the festival attracts visitors from around the world, raising concerns about bringing new infections to Bavaria.

Mayor Dieter Reiter said that “it is an emotionally difficult moment and of course it is also an economically difficult moment for our city.”

As it stands, major events with large audiences are banned in Germany until at least the end of August.

The country has taken the first steps toward loosening its shutdown, allowing small nonessential shops to start opening this week, but it remains unclear when bars and restaurants will be able to welcome customers again.

The Oktoberfest has previously been canceled during the two world wars; at a time of hyperinflation in Germany in 1923; and because of cholera outbreaks in 1854 and 1873, German news agency dpa reported.

Associated Press

Facebook to warn users who ‘liked’ coronavirus hoaxes

Facebook will soon let you know if you shared or interacted with dangerous coronavirus misinformation on the site, the latest in a string of aggressive efforts the social media giant is taking to contain an outbreak of viral falsehoods.

The new notice will be sent to users who have clicked on, reacted to, or commented on posts featuring harmful or false claims about COVID-19 after they have been removed by moderators. The alert, which will start appearing on Facebook in the coming weeks, will direct users to a site where the World Health Organization (WHO) lists and debunks virus myths and rumors.


Facebook, Google and Twitter are introducing stricter rules, altered algorithms and thousands of fact checks to stop the spread of bad misinformation online about the virus.

Challenges remain. Tech platforms have sent home human moderators who police the platforms, forcing them to rely on automated systems to take down harmful content. They are also up against people’s mistrust of authoritative sources for information, such as the WHO.

“Through this crisis, one of my top priorities is making sure that you see accurate and authoritative information across all of our apps,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook page Thursday.

The company disclosed Thursday that it put more than 40 million warning labels in March over videos, posts or articles about the coronavirus that fact-checking organizations have determined are false or misleading. The number includes duplicate claims—the labels were based on 4,000 fact checks.


Facebook says those warning labels have stopped 95% of users from clicking on the false information.

“It’s a big indicator that people are trusting the fact-checkers,” said Baybars Orsek, the director of the International Fact-Checking Network. “The label has an impact on people’s information consumption.”

But Orsek cautioned that the data Facebook provided should be reviewed by outside editors or experts, and called on the historically secretive company to release regular updates about the impact of its fact-checking initiative.

Orsek’s organization is a nonprofit that certifies news organizations as fact-checkers, a requirement to produce fact-checking articles for Facebook. Facebook has recruited dozens of news organizations around the globe to fact-check bad information on its site. The Associated Press is part of that program.

Facebook will also begin promoting the articles that debunk COVID-19 misinformation, of which there are thousands, on a new information center called “Get The Facts.” Putting trustworthy information in front of people can be just as useful, if not more, than simply debunking falsehoods.


Still, conspiracy theories, claims about unverified treatments, and misinformation about coronavirus vaccines continue to pop up on the site dail—sometimes circumventing the safeguards Facebook has implemented.

The new notification feature also only applies to posts on users’ main news feed—not in groups, where misinformation often spreads unchecked, and not on WhatsApp or Instagram, though Facebook has put some other protections in place on those platforms.

That means a lot of users won’t get the new alert from Facebook, said Stephanie Edgerly, an associate professor at Northwestern University who researches audience engagement. She said many users might simply see a false claim in their Facebook feed but not share, like or comment on it.

“A lot of what we know about how people scroll through their news feed not clicking on things, they still reading posts or headlines, without clicking on the link,” Edgerly said.

Facebook users, for example, viewed a false claim that the virus is destroyed by chlorine dioxide nearly 200,000 times, estimates a new study out today from Avaaz, a left-leaning advocacy group that tracks and researches online misinformation.

The group found more than 100 pieces of misinformation about the coronavirus on Facebook, viewed millions of times even after the claims had been marked as false or misleading by fact-checkers. Other false claims were not labeled as misinformation, despite being declared by fact-checkers as false.

“Coronavirus misinformation content mutates and spreads faster than Facebook’s current system can track it,” Avaaz said in its report.

This is especially problematic for Italian and Spanish misinformation, the report said, because Facebook has been slower to issue warning labels on posts that aren’t in English. Avaaz also noted that it can take as long as 22 days for Facebook to label misinformation as such—giving it plenty of time to spread.

False claims about coronavirus treatments have had deadly consequences.

Last month, Iranian media reported more than 300 people had died and 1,000 were sickened in the country after ingesting methanol, a toxic alcohol rumored to be a remedy through private social media messages.

Associated Press