Reports that David Dhawan has incorporated references to the Corona Virus has the director in splits. “Firstly, my film is complete and ready for release. Secondly Coolie No 1 is a comedy. And the Coronavirus is nothing to laugh about. It has taken millions of lives all over the world. As a filmmaker, I think it would be very irresponsible of me to slip in some reference to the virus just to give my film an added relevance,†says David who awaits the end of the lockdown, so the industry can go back to making and releasing films.
Coolie No 1 is David’s third film with his son Varun Dhawan. They worked together earlier in Main Tera Hero and Judwaa. All three are remakes of hits from the past. Two of them have clicked. The third awaits a release as soon as the movie theatres open.
David confirms only a theatrical release for Coolie No I. “That’s what my audience and my son Varun’s audience want.â€
Economists expect 1.3 million new state unemployment claims.
With businesses reopening in fits and starts and anxiety increasing over new coronavirus hot spots, the latest unemployment reading on Thursday is likely to offer scant comfort.
Economists surveyed by Bloomberg expect the Labor Department to report that 1.3 million new claims for state unemployment insurance were filed last week, with 20 million people continuing to collect state benefits. If the experts are correct, it would be the 14th week in a row that new claims have topped one million.
The latest data will be published amid conflicting signals for the economy. New York and some other places that were hard hit are starting to get back to business. But a surge in cases in states that reopened earlier has raised fears of new setbacks.
On Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas urged residents to stay home and warned that the state might have to impose new restrictions if the virus could not be contained. And California and Florida have each posted record numbers of new cases in recent days.
Apple shut stores it had reopened in four states — Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Arizona — and on Wednesday closed seven stores in Houston.
“The renewed outbreak will hinder the recovery,†said Carl Tannenbaum, chief economist at Northern Trust in Chicago. “I can’t help but think that the willingness of consumers to be in crowded places has diminished. It’s going to be a long haul to get back to where we were before the pandemic.â€
Founder of SoftBank is resigning from Alibaba’s board.
Masayoshi Son, the founder of SoftBank, the Japanese conglomerate and investment company, said on Thursday that he would resign from the board of Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce company, in which he was an early and wildly successful investor.
The move comes after Jack Ma, Alibaba’s co-founder, said last month that he would quit SoftBank’s board, without giving an explanation
SoftBank, which runs the world’s largest technology investment fund, has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, which has cratered the values of some of its largest holdings, like the car-sharing service Uber and the Indian hospitality firm Oya.
Alibaba has been a golden goose for SoftBank. Mr. Son’s original investment of $20 million grew into a stake valued at more than $100 billion. In recent months, SoftBank has sold down part of its stake in the Chinese company to raise funds for a large share buyback intended to juice its stock price.
Mr. Son and Mr. Ma have been longtime members of each other’s boards. Addressing an annual meeting of SoftBank’s shareholders, Mr. Son said that there was no bad blood between the two.
“It’s just a happy ending,†Mr. Son said. “Jack is kind of graduating from SoftBank Group, and I am graduating from the Alibaba Group.â€
Asia follows U.S. stocks lower as infections rise.
Stocks tumbled on Wednesday, erasing back-to-back gains from earlier in the week, as investors were confronted by new signs of the coronavirus pandemic’s persistence.
The S & P 500 fell more than 2 percent, with shares of retailers, airlines and cruise companies — which are proxies for sentiment about the prospects of a return to normal — faring poorly.
Nervousness about the economic outlook was evident in oil prices, and shares of energy companies also declined.
Markets in the Asia-Pacific region followed the drop in muted trading on Thursday, with exchanges in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan closed for a holiday.
German officials this week reimposed local lockdowns after an outbreak at a slaughterhouse infected more than 1,500 people. In the United States, a surge in new cases in states including Arizona, Florida and Texas have prompted new warnings about the dangers of the pandemic. More than 35,000 new coronavirus cases were identified across the country on Tuesday, according to a New York Times database, the highest single-day total since late April and the third-highest total of any day of the pandemic.
States are discouraging people from gathering in public and even reimposing some limits on activity. New York, New Jersey and Connecticut said on Wednesday that they would begin requiring out-of-state visitors entering their states to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival if they were coming from one of the country’s new hot spots.
The risk to investors is that a resumption of limits on travel, shopping or other activities that might further the spread of the virus will take a toll on corporate profits and the economy. For now, no state government has imposed the kind of limits that were in place in April and May but that could change as cases mount and hospitals reach capacity.
Houston’s intensive-care units are filled to 97 percent of capacity, Mayor Sylvester Turner told the City Council on Wednesday, with Covid-19 patients accounting for more than one-quarter of all patients in intensive care. Apple later said it would close its stores in the city as a precaution.
Underscoring concern over the impact of the virus, the International Monetary Fund on Wednesday revised its forecast for global economic growth sharply lower. The I.M.F. now expects the global economy to shrink by 4.9 percent, compared with a 3 percent prediction in April. The recovery will also be slower than earlier expected, the fund said.
The decline on Wednesday followed back-to-back gains on Wall Street that had lifted the Nasdaq composite to a record high. Led by large technology stocks like Apple and Amazon, the Nasdaq has outpaced the broader market in recent days, but it was also sharply lower on Wednesday.
The Walt Disney Company on Wednesday abandoned a plan to reopen its California theme parks on July 17, citing a slower-than-anticipated approval process by state regulators. The announcement came amid tension with unionized Disneyland employees, some of whom had publicly criticized the company’s reopening timetable as too fast.
“The State of California has now indicated that it will not issue theme park reopening guidelines until sometime after July 4,†Disney said in a statement. “Given the time required for us to bring thousands of cast members back to work and restart our business, we have no choice but to delay the reopening of our theme parks and resort hotels until we receive approval from government officials.â€
Disney did not give a new target reopening date. The company said it would move forward with plans to reopen its Downtown Disney shopping mall in Anaheim, Calif., on July 9.
Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, which border each other in Anaheim, closed on March 13. Two weeks ago, Disney presented government officials with a plan to reopen both parks on July 17 with limited capacity and stringent safety policies, including mandatory mask wearing. Other theme park operators in California have made similar proposals; Universal Studios Hollywood said it would like to reopen as soon as July 1, pending state approval.
But coronavirus cases in California have been soaring. Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Wednesday that the state recorded more than 7,000 new cases over the past day.
Unions representing most of the Disneyland’s 32,000 employees sent a letter to Governor Newsom on June 17 saying that “despite intensive talks with the company, we are not yet convinced that it is safe to reopen the parks on Disney’s rapid timetable.†Since then, many of Disney’s unions have signed agreements with the company outlining enhanced safety procedures.
Catch up: Here’s what else is happening.
Tomas J. Philipson, a top economic adviser to President Trump, plans to leave the administration at the end of the month, a White House official said on Wednesday. Mr. Philipson has served for the past year as the acting chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers and has been a member of the council since 2017. His departure leaves the Trump administration without one of its key economic experts as it tries to contain the coronavirus pandemic and emerge from a deep recession.
Reporting was contributed by Ben Dooley, Mohammed Hadi, Matt Phillips, Nelson D. Schwartz, Carlos Tejada, Brooks Barnes and Alan Rappeport.
Some tourism and hospitality leaders have called on the executive to reduce the 2m rule so they can manage more capacity in their establishments.
Mrs Dodds has repeatedly said she wants to see the distance reduced to 1m (3ft) as long as it is safe to do so, in order to sustain many of those businesses, as they begin to reopen their doors.
But other executive ministers have expressed caution and say the scientific advice shows it is still too risky to move to 1m.
Hotels, restaurants, pubs and cafes have already been advised to reconfigure seating, stagger arrivals and encourage use of outdoor areas.
On Tuesday, First Minister Arlene Foster said she had spoken to Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove about England’s decision to relax social distancing, with some conditions.
She said reducing the distance to 1m would be “transformational” for many sectors of the economy.
Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill previously said the executive needed to be guided by scientific advice, and that as soon as it could move to ease more restrictions, it would.
Some countries have adopted this guidance, often because they also insist on people wearing masks.
But it is not just about distance, but also timing.
The longer you spend in close proximity with an infected person, the bigger the risk.
Scientists advising the UK government say spending six seconds at a distance of 1m from someone is the same as spending one minute at a distance of 2m.
Mrs Foster has previously said that was a key concern for the executive as Stormont ministers debated whether to relax the current guidance around distancing.
Ministers will be asked to approve a paper setting out how the measure will be introduced and enforced.
At present, the executive recommends they are worn in shops and on public transport, where it is difficult to maintain social distancing.
In England and Scotland, it is now mandatory to wear them on public transport.
In the Republic of Ireland, Transport Minister Shane Ross is to bring a memo to cabinet on Thursday that would make it compulsory to wear a face covering on all forms of public transport, according to broadcaster RTÉ.
The executive has discussed the issue a number of times, but is not clear when ministers will come to a decision on wider use.
EL PASO, Texas — The man accused of killing 22 people and wounding two dozen more at a Walmart in Texas is expected to be reindicted Thursday as he faces another murder charge in the mass shooting that targeted Mexicans, prosecutors said.
Patrick Crusius of Allen, Texas, is being held without bond on one count of capital murder of multiple people under Texas state law. The 21-year-old has also been charged with several federal hate crimes related to the shooting, according to a 90-count indictment unsealed in February.
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District Attorney Jaime Esparza said the latest murder charge will account for 36-year-old Guillermo “Memo†Garcia, who died nine months after the Aug. 3 massacre in the Texas border of El Paso that’s considered one of the deadliest attacks on Latinos in recent U.S. history. Esparza said Crusius will also face more counts in relation to the dozens of people injured in the shooting. The new charges will be added to the indictment prior to the grand jury’s term ending on June 30, Esparza said.
“We’re reindicting the defendant to include the additional death and to include all of those injured in the Walmart shooting in order to give the next DA all of their options,†Esparza added. “We just want to cover all our bases.â€
Shoppers exit with their hands up after a mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, on Aug. 3, 2019. Jorge Salgado / Reuters file
The upcoming reindictment comes more than 10 months after the mass shooting in the majority Latino and Hispanic city federal prosecutors say was sparked by militant racism. They have said Crusius carried out the attack to scare Latinos into leaving the U.S., a plot they allege he outlined in a racist screed published online before the attack.
More than 20 people survived the shooting and suffered from injuries. Some underwent surgery, and one remains in the hospital. Hundreds more have suffered psychological trauma either because they were present or because a loved one was wounded, according to local officials.
Esparza, who’s set to retire after 28 years in office, said he hopes that the added charges will help provide continuity in the case and eventually lead to justice should the DA succeeding him decide to pursue the state case against Crusius.
Voters will pick a new DA in a runoff election July 14th. It’s one of several factors that will help answer some legal and financial questions, including the trial’s start date and location.
The Department of Justice will prosecute on a parallel track with Texas officials. Crusius already faces the death penalty on a state capital murder charge to which he pleaded not guilty last year.
“On the contrary,” it says, “these assaults on freedom, transparency, and democracy will make it more difficult for societies to respond quickly and effectively to the crisis through both government and civic action.”
To prove their point, the authors drew a connection between China as the starting place of the pandemic and the country’s undemocratic governing system, “where the free flow of information is stifled and where the government punished those warning about the dangers of the virus.”
Notwithstanding “authoritarian propaganda,” the letter continues, democracy is the best system even when societies face a “crisis of the magnitude and complexity of Covid-19” because essential tools to fight diseases, like the free flow of information, are key elements of liberal democracy.
The coronavirus crisis is both a “formidable global challenge” and “an alarming wake-up call,” meaning that people who care about democracy ought to “summon the will … and the solidarity to defend it,” according to the authors.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright | Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
People who care about democracy must defend it, say Madeleine Albright and others.
The future of liberal democracy is under threat because of the COVID-19 pandemic, as even democratically-elected governments have accumulated emergency powers that restrict human rights, several prominent figures argue in an open letter published Thursday.
“Parliaments are being sidelined, journalists are being arrested and harassed, minorities are being scapegoated, and the most vulnerable sectors of the population face alarming new dangers as the economic lockdowns ravage the very fabric of societies everywhere,” says the letter, commissioned by IDEA, a Stockholm-based think tank.
“On the contrary,” it says, “these assaults on freedom, transparency, and democracy will make it more difficult for societies to respond quickly and effectively to the crisis through both government and civic action.”
To prove their point, the authors drew a connection between China as the starting place of the pandemic and the country’s undemocratic governing system, “where the free flow of information is stifled and where the government punished those warning about the dangers of the virus.”
Notwithstanding “authoritarian propaganda,” the letter continues, democracy is the best system even when societies face a “crisis of the magnitude and complexity of COVID-19” because essential tools to fight diseases, like the free flow of information, are key elements of liberal democracy.
The coronavirus crisis is both a “formidable global challenge” and “an alarming wake-up call,” meaning that people who care about democracy ought to “summon the will … and the solidarity to defend it,” according to the authors.
Urvashi Rautela ‘grateful’ to represent India in her international debut film ‘Aislados’
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Former beauty queen and actress Urvashi Rautela is excited about her international debut with “Aislados” and says it is a great honour for her to represent not only India but all of Asia in the film.
“I’m truly grateful and blessed, and it is a great honour for me to represent not only India but the entire Asia and to be the only single actor representing Asia. I collaborated with really famous international artistes, so that was very fulfilling,” Urvashi said.
“Aislados”, a Spanish-English mini-documentary, is about a health crisis. It is directed by Luisito Comunica and Juanpa Zurita. The mini-documentary has released in 30 countries in Spanish and English on Youtube originals.
“This documentary will show life around the world in the face of the health crisis, from testimonies to cities that seem to have come out of an apocalypse. This documentary will travel around 30 countries and reflect on the new lifestyle in these months. This is a four-part mini-documentary series that really encapsulates the highly contrasted realities that we are going through right now, it shows the strength hope and resilience of the human race during these hard times,” she said.
Urvashi had earlier shared her excitement for the film on social media.
“It’s surreal my first International film project titled “AISLADOS” out soon! I have been representing India from the very beginning. It started with the Miss Tourism World stage in 2011 China, Miss Asian Supermodel in South Korea and Miss Universe stage 2015 in Las Vegas,” the actress tweeted on June 10.
She added: “I’m glad that my efforts have been appreciated and recognised. I’m a proud Indian and wear that on my sleeve. It’s humbling to be on the receiving end of such love, support and acceptance for me as an entertainer in new geographies.”
Dubai is like no other city in the world — 92% of the population are expatriates living in the emirate as foreigners on temporary work visas.
But the coronavirus pandemic coupled with a flailing oil market has had a ripple effect on the country with many of the expatriate population leaving to return home. Many redundancies were made public in the past few weeks; Emirates, the government-owned airline, laid off hundreds of employees.
The airline did not give specific numbers, but sources told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that 800 pilots were laid off and more than 4,000 staff and administrative personnel were made redundant in the second phase of its job cuts. The airline has also extended the 50% pay cuts until September.
Lesley Muncey arrived in Dubai 15 years ago from the United Kingdom. Her husband works in the airline industry and was made redundant in the most recent round of layoffs. Muncey and her family decided to relocate to Cyprus where they own a small apartment they will now live in until they decide their next move.
“Neither me nor my husband are bitter. I love Dubai. I am very sad to leave. My husband’s company has been so good to us, but it is what it is.†Muncey told Al-Monitor. “The redundancy process was done very slowly so we knew what to expect. But still it comes as a shock. I am sad — I call Dubai home. My adult daughter is going to stay, which means I will come back to visit her.â€
She added, “Hopefully if this situation changes maybe my husband would come back on contractual work. So I am still hopeful.â€
But other issues have come up following their decision to leave. For instance, Muncey’s 61-year-old husband is having issues selling his car, as he is not allowed into the car registration building because he is over 60. “These small things I find frustrating,†she added.Â
The companies that employ expatriates in Dubai often provide their employees with housing and schooling for their children. Dubai is not cheap; the average school fees vary between $15,000 and $28,000. Free education for expats does not exist in Dubai, as in most home countries where school fees are usually tied to the taxes one pays.
Wealthy Gulf Arab states have for decades depended on foreign workers to help their cities grow. Today, many are second-generation expats whose parents arrived in the 1970s. Many left to go to university elsewhere, but have come back to the place they call home.Â
One of the many Dubai residents who have called it home for the last 10 years is Dina Kosma. She and her husband are now deciding whether to return to Greece.
“In our case we don’t have a problem; neither of us are stuck outside the country and we both have our jobs. We don’t have to leave for financial reasons or hardship,” Kosma told Al-Monitor. “Right now, even with the lockdown and restrictions this has not affected us dramatically. But it has affected our children as they are below the age of 12, and they are not allowed in most places.â€
Kosma told Al-Monitor that with the uncertain school situation they just don’t know what to do. “Because our children are young, the distance learning is not working for us and it’s not a good solution. Paying school fees is not an issue, but [we pay] fees for them to be in a classroom — not at home where we have to monitor them ourselves. I know that we are in a fortunate situation, but still this is an issue for us. For now, we will stay put and hope that the schools open again in September,†she added.
Dubai’s education regulator — Knowledge and Human Development Authority — said Dubai schools are scheduled to reopen in September, but has also confirmed that e-learning will continue in the new academic year. What that looks like has many parents like Kosma concerned.Â
With so many unanswered questions, many expats have tough decisions to make. But many are optimistic that the city that sprung up from the desert will once again rise.
The Missouri woman who went viral for waving a Confederate flag, praising the Ku Klux Klan and vowing to teach hate to her grandchildren while at a Black Lives Matter protest in Branson is apologizing.Â
“I’m so, so sorry,†Kathy Jenkins told Ozarks First. “I mean, if it would help for me to stand with Black Lives Matter, I absolutely would do that.â€Â
Jenkins said she “blacked out†during the event and doesn’t remember what she said as anti-racism protesters gathered outside a store that sells Confederate merchandise.Â
However, the moment was caught on a widely shared video as Jenkins ― decked out in a “Make America Great Again†cap and draped in a Confederate flag ― told the protesters she would teach her grandchildren to hate them.
“I’m teaching them to fuckin’ hate all of you people,†she said, then she raised a fist and called out “KKK belief.â€
— BlackCultureEntertainment🗣 (@4TheCulture____) June 22, 2020
Jenkins said she does not support the KKK.
“I wasn’t saying I’m KKK or for the KKK,†she told Ozarks First. “I was mocking them because I don’t like being called a racist.â€Â
She also said she lost her job and left Branson over the incident ― and promised to never wave a Confederate flag again.Â
“I didn’t understand that the Confederate flag meant hate,†she told Ozarks First. “I don’t understand the whole history of the Confederate flag, but I’m learning.â€
At least some of the protesters aren’t buying her apology.Â
Mental health advocate Kenidra Woods said on Twitter that Jenkins’ vow to teach hate “hurt me to my core.â€Â
I’m always open to seeing people grow and accepting apologies but this doesn’t sound very genuine. I truly believe she‘s only apologizing because she got exposed. I get people get angry and “lose it†sometimes but I believe that kind of hate is deeply rooted within her. 🤷🏽♀️ 2/
— Kenidra4Humanity ~ KHHL ~ (@KenidraRWoods_) June 24, 2020
Protest organizer Faith Pittser was similarly unimpressed.Â
“She knew exactly what she was doing,†she told Ozarks First. “She was there from the start on the counter-protesters’ side shouting obscenities and hateful words at our protesters.â€Â
The store is owned by a couple with a history of KKK support.Â
Anna Robb told the Springfield News-Leader in 2015 that she had attended Klan events “years ago†but that it’s “not even something that comes up anymore.â€
Husband Nathan Robb, the newspaper said, is the son of KKK leader Thomas Robb. Anna Robb said at the time that they hadn’t spoken with him in years.
City leaders in Branson, a major tourist hub, have had a mixed reaction to the events.
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