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Hezbollah agrees to IMF help, under conditions

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Hezbollah agrees to IMF help, under conditions

May 29, 2020

Hezbollah shifted position regarding aid from the International Monetary Fund in March. The powerful Lebanese group that previously strongly opposed IMF help said in mid-March that it may accept it after all.

“We will not accept submitting to (imperialist) tools … meaning we do not accept submitting to the International Monetary Fund to manage the crisis,” Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem had said in late February.

This statement came after the idea of foreign aid was proposed by the Lebanese government, as Lebanon struggles with its worst economic crisis in its history made even worse by the coronavirus, with the Lebanese currency losing more than half its value against the dollar in three months and the employment rates hitting rock bottom, coupled with a crisis in the banking sector that includes capital control rules that hinders holders from withdrawing money in dollars. On March 12, for the first time in six decades, Iran requested a loan from the IMF to fight a hard-hitting coronavirus outbreak.

Just one day after the Iranian request, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised address that the group could accept IMF funding but under “reasonable conditions.”

Bassam, a 30-year-old electrical and computer engineer in Beirut who asked that only his first name to be used, told Al-Monitor that he identifies as secular but also as a Hezbollah supporter. Though he doesn’t advocate the party’s ideology, Bassam thinks its presence is necessary to protect the country from Israel’s ambition to occupy it.

Asked wether Hezbollah was disregarding its own ideology by agreeing to Western help, Bassam said, “Hezbollah put its ideology aside long ago, since their initial goal was achieving an Islamic republic and that this is out of question now, or else me and other secular people like me wouldn’t have supported them.”

“Though I am not a fan of the IMF because it imposes austerity measures that would affect normal citizens like myself, I believe [Hezbollah] when they say they won’t accept any conditions that would harm Lebanon’s sovereignty.”

On April 30, the Lebanese government endorsed a long awaited rescue plan to pull Lebanon out of economic collapse based largely on foreign injections of dollars, with $10 billion from the IMF in addition to $11 billion previously pledged by international donors at the CEDRE conference in Paris on conditions of financial reforms — which didn’t take place yet.

This time there should be a strong political will to be able to overcome a rhetoric of years of political corruption by some of the same politicians governing Lebanon’s 1989 civil war. Otherwise the IMF will not invest in Lebanon. Some say Hezbollah’s presence stands in the way of Beirut’s aid request to the IMF. The negotiations started on May 13 via video conference with both sides communicating positively about the outcome of the initial discussions. 

“We are comfortable with the atmosphere of these initial discussions, and we expect that the upcoming discussions will be equally constructive,” said Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni in a statement. 

IMF spokesman Gary Rice also said in a statement that he characterizes the talks as constructive and that the IMF staff is trying to better understand the authorities’ plans. “The government’s economic plan represents a good starting point on the ongoing discussions,” Rice added.

Hezbollah was classified as a terrorist organization by Germany in April, a step already taken by many Western countries including the United States, which also imposed strict sanctions on the group.

Sami Nader, director of the Levant Institution for Strategic Affairs, told Al-Monitor that Hezbollah must reconsider its external roles and focus on Lebanon if the party wants to give the Lebanese government any chance of getting aid from the IMF.

“The IMF would ask the Lebanese government to control its borders including land borders, maritime borders, the harbors and the airport. This would certainly affect Hezbollah’s ongoing behavior,” said Nader. Diesel smuggling has recently made headlines as the country attempts to crack down on illicit cross-border movements.

“Similar to funding programs with other countries, the Lebanese government will have to stop subsidizing fuel and wheat, especially when a portion of it is being smuggled to Syria, as we are finding out,” Nader added.

The news of the smuggling operations between Lebanon and Syria has overshadowed news of the economic crisis facing Lebanon amid IMF negotiations. Two trucks carrying camouflaged tanks filled with about 22,000 liters of diesel were seized on May 11 heading to the northern Syrian border area. George Brax, a member of the Syndicate of Owners of Petrol Stations in Lebanon, said in a press statement that the value of the smuggled hydrocarbons is at least over $400 million annually and that the figure could be much higher. 

Smuggling has increased on the Lebanese-Syrian border since the start of the Syrian war in 2011 as Syrian traders strove to access dollars after the depreciation of the Syrian pound and find an alternative market for Syrian products after the sanctions imposed on their country. The director of the Lebanese General Security, Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, visited Syria on May 19 to discuss border security with Syrian officials. “My visit to Syria is like all visits, and we hope that it will bear fruit and you will see the closing of the crossings file,” Ibrahim said, according to Al Modon newspaper.

Amid talks with the IMF, to which the United States is the largest contributor, Ziad Aswad, a parliamentarian and member of The Free Patriotic Movement — an ally of Hezbollah led by president Michel Aoun — said at a TV interview, “The Americans are giving Lebanon a choice: either carry weapons or live in hunger.”

The Arab Weekly newspaper reported on May 19 that Hezbollah, which provides social welfare for its supporters, is under enormous pressure from a large number of poor supporters who are affected by increasing unemployment. The newspaper says a former Shiite minister stated that wealthy diaspora members, especially those in West Africa who have placed large deposits to Lebanese banks, now stand to lose big in the banking crisis.

In his speech on Al-Quds Day on May 22, Nasrallah warned his supporters not to submit to the Israeli-American efforts to blame Hezbollah for Lebanon’s economic conditions.

In a May 8 press conference addressing corruption, parliament member Hassan Fadlallah said, “I refuse to defame anyone, however we have given the names responsible for corruption to the judiciary authorities and they are the ones who decide who is corrupt and who is not.”



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Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s wife Aaliya rubbishes fabricated reports about demanding Rs. 30 crores flat : Bollywood News – Bollywood Hungama

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Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s wife Aaliya rubbishes fabricated reports about demanding Rs. 30 crores flat : Bollywood News – Bollywood Hungama

It was recently revealed that Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s wife Aaliya Siddiqui filed for divorce after claiming they’ve been living separately for years. The actor, who is in his hometown, has not yet publicly spoken about it but reports claim that the actor was extremely shocked. Meanwhile, there are several reports stating that Aaliya has demanded Rs. 30 crores 4 BHK flat in her alimony. Reportedly, she also asked for Rs. 20 crores as fixed deposits for her two kids.

Rubbishing all these claims, Aaliya took to her Twitter account to slam the reports. “My Advocates are receiving calls from media houses, who claim to have a copy of my notice. Upon verification it appears that the said Notice is a “fabricated copy”. Who would be behind this? It is obviously a PR exercise to save someone from disgrace. A lot will unfold now,” she wrote.

In another tweet, Aaliya wrote, “Unless I have personally admitted or denied any claim or allegation on my twitter handle, the said allegations/claims made by any section of media is not maintainable.”

Back in 2009, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Aaliya got married. They have two children – son and a daughter.

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EU budget for recovery: Commission proposes new Health Programme #EU4Health with a budget of €9.4 billion

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EU budget for recovery: Commission proposes new Health Programme #EU4Health with a budget of €9.4 billion

The Commission has proposed a new, ambitious stand-alone health programme for the 2021-2027 period – the EU4Health Programme. EU4Health will make a significant contribution to the post-COVID-19 recovery by making the EU population healthier, improving the resilience of health systems, and promoting innovation in the health sector.

It will fill the gaps revealed by the COVID-19 crisis and ensure that EUs health systems are resilient enough to face new and future health threats. Health and Food Safety Commissioner Stella Kyriakides (pictured) said: “With the recovery package and the revised EU budget for the next seven years, we put forward a strategic vision both to address today’s situation as well as tomorrow’s challenges. As part of this package, the new EU4Health Programme will be a game changer, a real paradigm shift in how the EU deals with health, and a clear signal that the health of our citizens is more than ever before a priority for us.”

With the EU4Health Programme, it will now be possible for the EU to better tackle cross–border health threats, make medicines available and affordable, and strengthen our health systems.

A full MEMO and factsheet are available online and you can find more information on the EU’s recovery plan here. 

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UK manufacturers planning tens of thousands of redundancies

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UK manufacturers planning tens of thousands of redundancies

Britain’s manufacturers are poised to make tens of thousands of workers redundant after a worse-than-expected slump in orders, prompted by the pandemic that has left many firms struggling to survive.

A survey by the manufacturers’ lobby group, Make UK, found that 25% of companies are already drawing up plans to cut jobs in the next six months. A further 45% say they are considering redundancies.

Only 30% said they expect to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic with all their staff on the payroll.


The worst-hit firms, which account for more than a quarter of those planning to make redundancies, expect to cut more than half their workforce while another 30% said they would need to lose a quarter of their staff over the next six months.

Orders for cars, heavy machinery and manufactured equipment has declined sharply in recent weeks despite an easing of the lockdown to combat the Covid-19 outbreak in parts of Europe and the US.

The Make UK chief executive, Stephen Phipson, said: “There is no disguising the fact these figures make for awful reading with the impact on jobs and livelihoods across the UK.”

Michael Saunders, a member of the Bank of England’s interest rate setting committee, warned that the outlook for British businesses looked bleaker than it did earlier this month when the central bank said growth could be restored by the end of next year.

He said the “searing experience” of the coronavirus crisis would leave its mark long after the lockdown was lifted and the central bank should risk pumping too much stimulus into economy rather than too little to combat a severe downturn.

Saunders, who was one of only two members of the nine-strong MPC this month to back an increase in the stimulus programme, said he expected an acceleration in the already high rate of unemployment and an increase in the number of companies going bust would leave long-term scars on badly affected industries.

The Office for National Statistics said the hospitality, retail and leisure industries had already suffered a steep decline in job vacancies, with low-income workers the worst affected.

The number of vacancies on offer had more than halved since severe restrictions were imposed in March, with even bigger drops in the retail and hospitality sectors.

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Official monthly figures for vacancies are only available up until April but the ONS said that by using data from the online job search engine Adzuna it was able to add the current state of employment opportunities to its list of Covid-19 tracking indicators.

Adzuna said its breakdown of the vacancy data showed job vacancies in hospitality and catering had decreased by 86% since the start of the crisis, with retail down by 70%.

While the gradual reopening of construction sites and non-essential shops had led to some industries stabilising, Adzuna said recovery was likely to be slow as employers re-entered the market cautiously. Job losses in key sectors such as hospitality had disproportionately affected lower-income workers, with 64% of job losses coming from those earning between £15,000 and £24,299.

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‘No justice, no peace’: Protesters breach Minneapolis police precinct, set fires in the wake of George Floyd’s death

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‘No justice, no peace’: Protesters breach Minneapolis police precinct, set fires in the wake of George Floyd’s death

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George Floyd’s death has caused hundreds of protesters to take over the streets all over the U.S. including Minneapolis, Memphis and Los Angeles.

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MINNEAPOLIS — Protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death boiled over Thursday night as protesters gained access to the Minneapolis Police Department’s 3rd Precinct building, forcing officers to evacuate. 

Tensions have been rising for days since the death of Floyd, a black man who died in police custody after a white officer pinned him to the ground under his knee, and further escalated Thursday night. According to reports from the scene, protesters made their way inside the building and set fires. 

The Minneapolis Police Department released a statement, saying the precinct was evacuated shortly after 10 p.m. “in the interest of the safety of our personnel.” The MPD confirmed that protesters “ignited several fires,” but didn’t offer additional information. 

Protesters celebrated — cheering, honking car horns and setting off fireworks — as fires burned at the precinct. 

Hundreds of protesters flooded Minneapolis streets earlier Thursday for a march through downtown. Traffic was halted as a crowd of people stretched for up to four blocks. Protesters shouted “I can’t breathe” and “no justice, no peace; prosecute the police” as volunteer marshals in highlighter-colored vests directed traffic. 

“The people of Minneapolis are not just protesting the public execution of George Floyd; they’re fighting for their lives. Mr. Floyd’s death — in addition to the recent deaths of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor — is yet another reminder of American law enforcement’s toxic tradition of abuse, negligence, violence, and discrimination toward black people,” Scott Roberts, senior director of criminal justice campaigns at Color Of Change, said in a statement. 

What we know: Federal authorities pledge ‘robust’ investigation into George Floyd’s death; Minnesota National Guard activated

“The protests in Minneapolis are efforts by black and brown activists to rise up against centuries-old racism within the police department and prosecutors office and resist the white supremacy that has claimed far too many black lives.”

The demonstration began after a round of speeches that started at 5 p.m. at the Hennepin County Government Center. Mel Reeves, a longtime activist in the city, encouraged the crowd to be peaceful.

He said officials use damaging or violent protests to distract from the true issue of police brutality. 

“They wanna use us to keep us from getting justice … they act like animals, then wanna make us look like animals,” Reeves told the crowd before directing them down South Third Avenue.

‘They executed my brother’: George Floyd’s brother calls for arrests, peaceful demonstrations

Unrest in the area continued, too. Mayor Jacob Frey issued a declaration of a local emergency following “civil disturbance” in the wake of Floyd’s death. Gov. Tim Walz tweeted a call to “rebuild.” 

“George Floyd’s death should lead to justice and systemic change, not more death and destruction,” Walz said. 

Just after 6 p.m., a crowd of at least 300 people gathered at the intersection of Lake Street and Minnehaha Avenue. As smoke from several burned-out buildings filled the air, protesters chanted and demanded justice. 

“We can’t breathe,” they yelled. “We can’t breathe.”

While the core of the protest focused on police brutality and institutional racism, it also took on, at times, the air of a carnival, with young men and women riding bikes into the area to watch. 

‘Gentle giant’: George Floyd remembered as family calls his death ‘murder’

A young woman casually spray-painted “(expletive) the police” on a metal sign while across the street a man tried to tip over a port-a-potty.

Protests continued elsewhere, too. In some cases, so did the chaos.

Police in New York City clashed with protesters on Thursday night. NYPD Lt. John Grimpel told USA TODAY that there had been “numerous” arrests in Lower Manhattan. He said an officer was hit in the head with a garbage can, another was punched in the face and others had been spit on. 

Meanwhile, Colorado state Rep. Leslie Herod said someone “shot into the rally” taking place at the State Capitol in Denver. A local reporter confirmed shots were fired, but the Denver Police Department said there were no reports of injuries.

Later Thursday night in Denver, a video on Twitter showed a person in a car allegedly trying to run over a protester. 

“You can be angry. You can be outraged. I certainly am and I join you in those feelings and demands of #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd,” Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said on Twitter. “March for justice and to see it served, but please march in peace. Responding to violence with violence will only lead to more violence.”

Dozens of protesters — many wearing face masks — gathered in Chicago’s South Side Englewood neighborhood on Thursday afternoon. Videos shared to social media showed protesters holding signs that read “Black Lives Matter” and chanting “no justice no peace, no racist police.”

Opinion: Video of George Floyd pinned by Minneapolis cops is shocking but not surprising

There were two groups of protesters, and one person was arrested for disorderly conduct, the city’s superintendent, David Brown, said during an evening press conference. The demonstration “otherwise ended peacefully,” he said.

Reports of protests in Phoenix and Louisville, Kentucky, on Thursday night indicated large crowds of protesters. The protests started with minimal violence, however, like in other areas across the nation, things escalated. 

Jessie Halladay, a spokeswoman for the Louisville Metro Police Department, confirmed to the Louisville Courier-Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, that shots were fired around 11:30 p.m. At least seven people were shot and at least one of the victims was in critical condition, police confirmed. 

The protest in Louisville followed the death of Taylor, who was shot by police after officers executed a “no-knock” search warrant and exchanged gunfire with Taylor’s boyfriend, who said he did not hear officers announce themselves before firing a single shot. Taylor was shot at least eight times. 

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‘Brutish’ Trump Could Be Sued For Damages Over Cruel Scarborough Attacks, Warns Expert

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‘Brutish’ Trump Could Be Sued For Damages Over Cruel Scarborough Attacks, Warns Expert

US President Donald Trump’s repeated suggestion that media critic Joe Scarboroughkilled an aide is not only shocking to many Americans and even members of his own party, it could end up costing him a fortune if he’s sued over the hurtful comments, warned a legal expert.

For all of Trump’s past vicious insults against opponents and critics, this time his “wantonly cruel attacks” are “distinctive,” Yale emeritus law professor Peter H. Schuck wrote Thursday in an op-ed in The New York Times. His Scarborough attacks “may constitute intentional torts for which a civil jury could award punitive damages against him” — and he could be sued for his actions while still in the White House, Schuck warned.

Trump has repeatedly indicated on Twitter that Scarborough, co-host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” had something to do with the 2001 death of intern Lori Klausutis, who worked in his Florida office when he was a Republican congressman.

“The president has offered no evidence for this slander, because there is none,” wrote Schuck. “He has not cited any evidence to support his calumny either before the tweets or in response to the backlash since then.”

The medical examiner ruled the death an accident, determining that Klausutis suffered a fatal head injury after fainting due to an undiagnosed heart condition. Her widower, Timothy Klausutis, earlier this week pleaded in a letter to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to remove Trump’s “horrifying lies” that were causing her family pain.

The president is now vulnerable to court actions for “intentional infliction of emotional distress, which the courts developed precisely to condemn wanton cruelty to another person who suffers emotionally as a result,” noted Schuck. This “readily applies to Mr. Trump’s tweets about Ms. Klausutis. They were intentional and reckless, and were ‘extreme and outrageous’ without a scintilla of evidence to support them. And they caused severe emotional distress — the protracted, daily-felt grief described in Mr. Klausutis’s letter.”

Scarborough may have less of a claim than Klausutis’s widower of emotional distress because the cable news host has largely dismissed the attacks as typical Trump behavior, noted Schuck. But he may have grounds to sue for defamation because Trump’s attacks may “seriously harm” Scarborough’s reputation, according to Schuck. 

Because of a 1998 ruling in favor of Paula Jones in her sexual harassment suit against President Bill Clinton, lawsuits by both Klausutis and Scarborough “could proceed” against Trump “while he is still in office,” wrote Schuck.

Suits could likely be brought in any state — and because the tweets had nothing to do with Trump’s “presidential responsibilities, he probably could not hide behind an assertion of executive privilege,” noted Schuck.

The Klausutis family has suffered enough ..  without having to endure Mr. Trump’s … malicious raking of the coals,” Schuck concluded. “Tort law might hold our brutish president to account.”



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Minneapolis Police Station Set On Fire As George Floyd Protests Rage For Third Day

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Minneapolis Police Station Set On Fire As George Floyd Protests Rage For Third Day

Protests broke out for the third day in a row on Thursday over the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes. Demonstrators clashed with police, and buildings in the city were set on fire.

Local media outlets reported later Thursday that some protesters had broken into the Minneapolis Police Department’s 3rd Precinct Station, setting part of the building on fire. Officials said they evacuated the building for the safety of personnel. 

The Minneapolis National Guard said it had activated more than 500 troops to the Minneapolis-St. Paul region.

“Our mission is to protect life, preserve property and the right to peacefully demonstrate,” the state’s National Guard said on Twitter. “A key objective is to ensure fire departments are able to respond to calls.

The news came amid ongoing protests across Minneapolis and around the nation over Floyd’s death on Monday, which has drawn bleak comparisons to other Black men and women who have died in police custody. Demonstrations raged for the second day in a row on Wednesday, spilling into the early hours of Thursday morning as some protestors turned violent, setting fire to retail stores and a construction site and looting a local Target. One person was shot and killed by the owner of a pawnshop. 

Federal officials said Thursday the investigation was a “top priority,” but added they were still gathering information in their probe and had not yet made a decision on filing charges.

As Justice Department officials at a Thursday afternoon press briefing in a Minneapolis suburb said the agency’s “highest of the high” were investigating the case, protesters began to gather in force once again on Thursday evening as the governor activated the National Guard and declared a state of emergency.

“We are conducting a robust and meticulous investigation into the circumstances surrounding the events of May 25, 2020, and the police officers’ actions on that evening,” US Attorney Erica MacDonald said at the briefing. “Minneapolis, our nation, really the world, has witnessed this incredibly disturbing loss of life. … We are grieving and we will continue to grieve. To be clear, the Department of Justice has made the investigation in this case a top priority.”

The attorney for Hennepin County, which includes Minneapolis, said at the briefing that his office was moving forward cautiously with its investigation.

The video showing Floyd dying as he was pinned by an officer “is graphic and horrific and terrible and no person should do that,” Mike Freeman said. “But my job in the end is to prove that (the officer) violated a criminal statute and there is other evidence that does not support a criminal charge. We need to wade through all that evidence and to come to a meaningful determination and we are doing that to the best of our ability.”

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who has called for charges to be filed in the case, again urged citizens to protest peacefully following Wednesday night’s looting and arson in parts of the city.

“If you’re feeling that sadness, that anger, it’s not only understandable, it’s right. It’s a reflection of the truth that our black community has lived,” Frey said at a separate press conference. “We must believe that we can be better than we have been.” 

Anger has continued to build after the Minneapolis Police Department fired four officers on Tuesday following the release of the shocking video showing Floyd’s arrest. In the footage, Floyd can be seen pinned to the ground as Officer Derek Chauvin keeps pressing his knee into the man’s neck, even as Floyd pleas, “Please man, I can’t breathe. I cannot breathe. I cannot breathe.”

Three other officers at the scene who with Chauvin were later fired ― Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng ― make no apparent effort to intervene.

Floyd’s eyes close after several minutes and he stops speaking. Officers later called an ambulance but the man died after arriving at a local hospital. Paramedics later said Floyd, 46, was unresponsive and without a pulse by the time he was en route to the hospital.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s said later Thursday it was still waiting for final lab results “to provide the most medically accurate cause of death determination possible.”

Floyd’s family has publicly called for charges to be filed against the four officers. His brother, Philonise Floyd, told CNN they should be arrested “right now” and “held accountable about everything.”

“These guys need to be arrested, convicted of murder, and given the death penalty,” he said. “They need to. They took my brother’s life. He will never get that back. I will never see him again. My family will never see him again. His kids will never see him again.”



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Fan Theory Claims Ruby Rose Left Batwoman To Star In Killing Eve

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Fan Theory Claims Ruby Rose Left Batwoman To Star In Killing Eve

When Ruby Rose announced last week that she’d “made the very difficult decision” to leave her leading role on “Batwoman” after just one season, fans were shocked.

But they also wanted to know why.

Rose, who portrayed the first queer title-role superhero on a live-action TV series, did not immediately let on why she was leaving and nor did producers. The Australian actor then followed up her original statement with a cryptic Instagram on Thursday:

“Thank you to the cast, crew, producers and studio. It wasn’t an easy decision but those who know, know,” she captioned a fan-made video montage of the character.

“I have stayed silent because that’s my choice for now but know I adore you all,” she added.

Now one fan theory doing the rounds on social media suggests there is a solid reason behind the “Orange is the New Black” alum’s departure from the CW show and it has everything to do with UK crime drama “Killing Eve.”

A Killing Eve fan account speculated that Rose could be set to play the character of Lara/ Charlie in season four of the show. Season three is currently airing on ABC and iView.

“I have a feeling that #rubyrose is gonna play Lara/Charlie (#nonbinary ) in #killingeve season 4 🤯👀 As #villanelle ’s ex girlfriend 🤔,” Killing Eve fan account @villaneve_her_n_her posted on its Instagram account.

“With all the posts about #jodiecomer and the sudden drop out of #batwoman? I mean there’s not a lot of show that the main actress drops out right?”

The caption refers to one Instagram Story Rose posted about Killing Eve star Jodie Comer. That’s about the only real connection between Rose and the Killing Eve cast.

Hey, we said it was a fan theory.

The hit BBC drama focuses on Russian assassin Villanelle (Jodie Comer) and MI6 agent Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh) and their apparent infatuation with one another.

The ‘will-they-won’t they’ plot even came to a head in the last episode of the first series when both characters laid down on a bed together seemingly about to give into their desires before Eve stabbed Villanelle in the stomach. Avid Killing Eve fans are mostly keen for the ‘kind-of’ romance to pick up pace.



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Rupee rises 11 paise to 75.65 against US dollar in early trade

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Rupee rises 11 paise to 75.65 against US dollar in early trade

By: PTI | Mumbai |

Published: May 29, 2020 11:14:08 am





The rupee had settled at 75.76 against the US dollar on Thursday. (Representative image)

The rupee appreciated 11 paise to 75.65 against the US dollar in opening trade on Friday as foreign fund inflows and weak American currency boosted investor confidence.

Forex traders said investors are awaiting the country’s gross domestic product data for the January-March quarter, due later in the day, for further cues.

Rupee was trading in a range-bound manner as improving investor sentiment was offset by rising tensions between Washington and Beijing in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The rupee opened at 75.71 at the interbank forex market and then gained further to 75.65, up 11 paise over its last close.

It had settled at 75.76 against the US dollar on Thursday.

“Markets were nervous before US President Donald Trump’s announcement, later in the day, on policy moves that could spark a diplomatic conflict between Washington and Beijing,” Reliance Securities said in a research note.

Moreover, over the weekend, markets will get an update on the nationwide lockdown and another extension could likely see the rupee to start on a weaker note next week, it added.

Meanwhile, in India, the death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 4,706 and the number of cases climbed to over 1.65 lakh, according to the Health Ministry.

The number of cases around the world linked to the disease has crossed over 58.10 lakh and the death toll has topped 3.60 lakh.

On the equities front, the 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex was quoting 140.21 points lower at 32,060.38 and broader Nifty fell 22.60 points to 9,467.50.

Foreign institutional investors were net buyers in the capital market, as they bought equity shares worth Rs 2,354.14 crore on Thursday, according to provisional exchange data.

Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, fell 0.60 per cent to USD 35.08 per barrel.

The dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, fell by 0.06 per cent to 98.32.

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Creating a #SustainableFoodSystem – The EU’s strategy

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Creating a #SustainableFoodSystem – The EU’s strategy

The EU’s food sustainability strategy aims to protect the environment and ensure healthy food for everyone, whilst ensuring farmers’ livelihoods. The food system, from production to consumption and waste, has a significant impact on the environment, health and food safety. With the Farm to Fork Strategy presented on 20 May 2020, the European Commission aims to create a sustainable EU food system that safeguards food security and protects people and the natural world.
Setting targets

The strategy provides the framework for a series of laws that the Commission will propose,  ranging from a revision of EU pesticides legislation, new EU animal welfare rules and plans to address food waste and tackle food fraud to food labelling, a carbon farming initiative and the reform of the EU farm system.

It will complement existing EU legislation and build a comprehensive framework that covers the whole food supply chain.

All the proposals will need to be negotiated with and approved by the Council and Parliament.

The strategy’s key targets for 2030:
  • 50% reduction in the use and risk of pesticides
  • at least 20% reduction in the use of fertilizers
  • 50% reduction in sales of antimicrobials used for farmed animals and aquaculture
  • 25% of agricultural land to be used for organic farming

Creating an eco-friendly food system

Although EU agriculture is the only major farm sector worldwide to have reduced its greenhouse gas emissions (by 20% since 1990), it still accounts for around 10% of greenhouse gas emissions (of which 70% are due to animals) Together with manufacturing, processing, packaging and transportation, the food sector is one the main drivers of climate change.

According to the strategy, a shift in our way of producing, buying and consuming food is necessary to improve the environmental footprint and help mitigate climate change, whilst protecting the livelihoods of all economic actors in the food chain, by generating fairer economic returns and opening up new business opportunities.

The Farm to Fork Strategy is part of the European Green Deal and its goal of making the EU climate neutral by 2050, which is closely linked to the new Biodiversity Strategy 2030.

It aims to make the EU food system more robust and resilient to future crises like COVID-19 and more recurrent natural disasters such as floods or droughts.

Ensuring affordable, healthy and sustainable food

The Farm to Fork Strategy intends to ensure affordable safe and nutritious food for consumers. It responds to increasing demands for healthy and environmentally friendly products.

According to a Eurobarometer survey from April 2019, the most important factors for Europeans when buying food are origin (53%), price (51%), food safety (50%) and taste (49%). In addition two thirds of respondents (66%) said they had changed their habits after finding out information on food risks.

Consumption patterns are changing, but with more than 950,000 deaths in 2017 related to unhealthy diets and half of adults being overweight, there is room for improvement. To make it easier to choose healthy options and make informed decisions, the Commission proposes a mandatory harmonized front-of‑pack nutrition labelling system.

Leading a global transition

The EU is the number one importer and exporter of agri-food products worldwide and the largest seafood market. European food is of the highest global standard and the strategy aims to promote a global transition to sustainability in cooperation with partners and through trade agreements.

Parliament, a strong defender of sustainability

In a resolution on the European Green Deal adopted in January, Parliament welcomed the plan for a sustainable food system strategy and highlighted the need to use natural resources more efficiently while supporting the agricultural sector. They reiterated calls to reduce pesticides dependency, and the use of fertilizers and antibiotics in agriculture. They also wanted higher animal welfare standards and an EU-wide food waste reduction target of 50%.

After the presentation of the new Farm to Fork Strategy, environment committee chairman Pascal Canfin (Renew Europe, France) said the plans need to be transformed into EU legislation. Norbert Lins (EPP, Germany), chair of the agriculture committee, said that the strategy must be built on the lessons learnt by the COVID-19 crisis and give farmers the support they need to guarantee food security.

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