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When am I allowed to go out? Ministers are required by law to assess whether the rules are working, based on expert advice, every three weeks. Mr Raab, deputising for Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he recovers from the illness, said: "There is light at the end of the tunnel but we are now at both a delicate and a dangerous stage in this pandemic. "If we rush to relax the measures that we have in place we would risk wasting all the sacrifices and all the progress that has been made. "That would risk a quick return to another lockdown with all the threat to life that a second peak to the virus would bring and all the economic damage that a second lockdown would carry." Mr Raab said the review concluded that the measures were working, but there was evidence the infection was spreading in hospitals and care homes. He said five conditions needed to be met before the lockdown was eased: Making sure the NHS could cope A "sustained and consistent" fall in the daily death rate Reliable data showing the rate of infection was decreasing to "manageable levels" Ensuring the supply of tests and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) could meet future demand Being confident any adjustments would not risk a second peak He said he could not provide a definitive timeline, but said the prime minister's warning at the outset of the epidemic that it would take about three months to come through the peak still applied. "We know it is rough going. Every time I come to this lectern and read out the grim toll, I walk away and think of their sons and daughters going through this right now, their brothers, sisters, grandchildren, all those left behind," Mr Raab said. "It makes this government focus even harder on what we must do and I know together, united, we must keep up this national effort." Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said "the government is right" to extend the restrictions but he said any exit strategy would require mass testing in the community and it was "struggling" to reach its target of 100,000 tests a day by the end of April. The UK now has the capacity to carry out 35,000 tests for coronavirus a day, Downing Street said, although the most recent figures showed they only carried out 18,665 in the last 24-hour period. Sir Keir also told the BBC's podcast Coronavirus Newscast that he suspected Mr Raab was "reluctant" to sign off an exit strategy without the prime minister in office. Also speaking at the briefing, Sir Patrick Vallance, the government's chief scientific adviser, played down suggestions that vulnerable groups such as the elderly could be kept under lockdown conditions for longer. He said the aim was for "everything to start moving more towards normal, not to segregate certain groups". 'Too early to change course' The government's announcement in the UK comes after a meeting of the emergency Cobra committee, involving the first ministers of Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland. In Scotland, a further 80 people have died in hospitals. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the lockdown should continue because "we are not confident enough that the virus has been suppressed sufficiently". Wales recorded another 32 deaths, with First Minister Mark Drakeford saying it was "still too early to change course". Northern Ireland saw its highest daily toll, with a further 18 deaths in hospitals, and England recorded another 740 deaths. The tallies for individual nations can differ from the UK-wide total, because they are calculated on a different timeframe. At 20:00 BST for the fourth week running, people across the country gathered on doorsteps, balconies or in gardens to applaud workers in the NHS, care services and others helping during the crisis. "It got really big, eh?" said Annemarie Plas, a Dutch woman living in London who began the weekly Clap for Carers ritual. "You can never say British people don't have passion and spirit." Downing Street said Boris Johnson, who continues to recover from Covid-19, joined in the applause to thank the "incredible efforts" of NHS and care workers. Call for mask-wearing During the No 10 briefing, Prof Chris Whitty, the UK's chief medical adviser, urged people to continue to attend hospital if they needed to for other emergencies, saying the NHS "is open for business". It comes after figures showed that visits to accident and emergency units have dropped sharply since the outbreak began. Prof Whitty also said the government was reviewing whether there were any circumstances in which it should recommend people wear masks in public to prevent the virus spreading, but said "the evidence is weak" and it would be a "very bad thing" if increased demand created shortages for healthcare workers. But London Mayor Sadiq Khan told the BBC he wanted people in the capital to wear masks or face coverings whenever they leave the house. "The evidence around the world is that this is effective, and I'm lobbying our government, our advisers to change their advice, and I want us to do that sooner rather than later," he said.
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Singer Ellie Goulding has helped source 400 mobile phones, which will be given to homeless people to help them through the lockdown amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis. The singer, 33, along with her management company TaP Music helped charity Crisis to get the phones, reports dailymail.co.uk. She admitted that she is "very worried" about how many people still need support. "We're all worried about coronavirus, but people who are homeless are particularly exposed to and threatened by the pandemic," Goulding said. "Over the last few weeks we have seen an unprecedented and phenomenal effort to rehouse people sleeping rough by the government, local authorities and homelessness charities, but I have remained very worried about how many people will still need support. I've been determined to help keep them connected," she added. The distribution of the phones began on April 15. The phones will go towards people Crisis supports as well as those who are currently staying in hotels across London. Meanwhile, the "Love me like you do" hitmaker is currently in self-isolation with husband Caspar Jopling. She recently became the latest star to attempt the viral T-shirt handstand challenge on Instagram. The singer wore a black crop top and matching leggings in the black and white clip as she made a successful attempt to put a T-shirt on while doing a handstand.
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Car sales have declined precipitously in the weeks since the COVID-19 outbreak took hold in the U.S. Car dealers largely weren't ready for massive online shopping but are rushing to adopt online tools as COVID-19-related shelter-in-place orders keep customers from coming to showrooms. We've laid out the pitfalls, but with a vast majority of customers wanting online options, the car dealers are going to figure this out sooner rather than later. Go ahead and add buying a car to the list of things that the coronavirus pandemic has changed forever. While car dealerships remain open even in states with shelter-in-place orders, the rhythm of the traditional car purchase suddenly seems impossible. And despite pushes from companies such as Tesla and Carvana to reshape the car-buying experience in recent years, most traditional dealerships currently lack any online shopping tools at all. But as shelter-in-place orders force would-be car buyers to stay home, TrueCar reported a 37 percent sales decline for March and predicts an even bigger drop in April. Car dealers are finally being forced to adapt—and adopt new technology—in order to survive. LISTINGS ZIP Code SEARCHPowered by Michelle Denogean, chief marketing officer at Roadster, a company that sells a platform of tools to help dealers sell cars online, estimates that only about 20 percent of car dealerships had any online shopping tools pre-pandemic. In the first few weeks of the pandemic, Roadster saw up to four times as many calls as usual from dealers and manufacturers interested in adopting Roadster's platform. Rhett Ricart, chairman of the National Auto Dealers Association (NADA), expects "80 to 90 percent" of dealers to have full e-commerce capability by the end of the year. There are, of course, some obstacles to the seamless online car purchase. The fact that the vast majority of car buyers need to take out a loan to close the deal means that most purchases will still involve a conversation with a human about the terms of that loan, even if that takes place via a phone call. And though you can e-sign your tax return, most states won't allow you to e-sign for a car. The desire to test drive a car before you buy it presents its own challenges in a time when every trip outside the house is carefully considered. Follow MSN Autos on Facebook and Twitter Roadster is working with dealers to tweak the car-buying process for a no-contact world. That means re-imagining the test drive (maybe a salesperson drops the car at your house and comes back for it the next day) and working to inform customers about sanitation efforts in states where showrooms are still open. Carvana has instituted no-contact pick-up and delivery systems to minimize person-to-person contact. Customers who choose home delivery can sign their contract while the delivery driver waits in the truck outside, then drop the contract in the mailbox for the driver to pick up. There's no reason to think that the shift to car shopping will be temporary. For one thing, dealerships have an incentive to use the online tools: they're rich in the kind of data that most retailers have been exploiting for years. Roadster's tools allow dealers to track a customer's shopping journey, so that when a customer finally picks up the phone or walks into the showroom to make a deal, the salesperson can use their name and e-mail address to see which cars and loan terms the customer was researching before coming in. More important, lots of customers want to buy their cars online. Carvana's research says that 97 percent of shoppers are already using the internet to research cars, and 75 percent would consider buying a car online. Roadster hopes that building a robust, easy-to-navigate platform will make the transition to e-commerce easier. "It's never going to be like buying an iPhone, but it should feel like buying an iPhone," says Denogean. With companies like Carvana normalizing the idea of an all-online car purchase, and companies like Roadster taking on the burden of building a high-quality sales platform, there may be real change coming to the car sales model for the first time in decades.
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Conqueror’s Blade is a free-to-play tactical Action MMO from developer Booming Games. This interesting array of genres promises a unique mix of player development, PVE story, epic siege combat, open world exploration and resource gathering and open world. With so many different ideas and mechanics mashed together, one has to question how it all plays out in this medieval hack and slash world. Well, dear friends, we need not question further as after a week of hacking, slashing and commanding my way through Conqueror’s Blade I’m here to give my report on what it's like to be on the front lines of Booming Games latest title. So grab that coffee, kick back and enjoy our review of Conqueror’s Blade. In a world devastated by war, players take on the role of one of ten unique warlords set on conquering and bringing control to the chaotic lands. With weapons in hand, players set out on a journey of building an army to take on rival factions and players all in the name of conquest. The world of Conqueror’s Blade is a seemingly vast and open set piece where players can explore, harvest and challenge one another to combat with the victors take the spoils of the vanquished. The world of Conqueror's blade feels a bit dated visually with many of the animations and character models falling flat and a bit underwhelming. The world itself is washed out with many of the colours simply variations on brown and grey. Whether for technical reasons, due to the large scale of the world and combat, or for some other thematic reason, it, unfortunately, left me a bit quite disappointed. That being said I was impressed with the design of the world structurally with the city centers, in particular, is quite impressive to explore and spend time in. However when entering the open world or even combat areas things again feel flat and uninspired. Combat is an interesting mix of standard hack and slash and command based, tactical strategy. On the one hand, you control your personal avatar who through combat, harvesting, and crafting, unlocks skills, abilities and gear. This facet of combat feels much more like a traditional ARPG. Your character comes equipped with some basic left and right mouse abilities coupled with a few select unique skills to throw into the mix. With several progression options at your disposal, the game does offer some unique options for player development. The one caveat in all this is that the progression systems at work here can feel a bit overwhelming for new players. On paper this looks great, however, the implementation once again falls a little flat. Clunky animations coupled with terrible balancing issues makes you sometimes feel like a god among men and at other times like a bug crushed under a giants heel. Not to mention that combat, in general, feels slow, clunky and at times bland. There never seems to a balance struck where combat is challenging by manageable. On top of this, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of heavy strategy for player combat, it essentially becomes you throwing yourself at the enemy and hoping your health and armor keep you alive longer than your enemy. On the other hand, players will also control groups of NPC combatants who will loyally follow you into combat and do your bidding. The controls for troop management are streamlined which was nice while in the heat of combat allowing for quick redirection and strategic attacks at key moments. In fact, when it came to PVP combat this was actually the more enjoyable part of the experience. More than once I found myself hanging back and monitoring the flow of combat and then moving my troops to route enemy troops and players when the timing was right. In this area, Conqueror’s Blade shines a bit more. Speaking on troop management it is important to briefly highlight that there is a lot of work required to raise up an army outside of combat. As mentioned a good portion of the game is spent harvesting resources which in turn are used to develop and recruit your army. In fact, as much of the game, in general, revolves around resource management and farming of said resources. If you are someone who enjoys the long journey of crafting, management and development, Conqueror’s Blade has a lot to offer the player. Although it’s not as complex or robust as games like Black Desert in regards to resource management it does offer enough to keep players busy. The one downside here is that it can be a pretty huge grind for players who favour the combat and strategy. For myself, this part of the game was a huge chore and didn’t really add to the gameplay experience for me. The open world, where most of the farming and grinding for resources takes place, feels pretty empty. There are some PVE type events taking place like bandit raids and at any time PVP encounters can happen but overall the open world experience felt pretty lonely and repetitive. There are so many layers and mechanics at work in Conqueror’s Blade to try to get your head around as a player. In fact, it feels like a bit of a catch twenty-two (if you’ll pardon the expression) for the developer. On the one hand, Booming Games really feels like they are trying to take the tactical Action MMO to the next level of immersion and innovation in how we play in the genre. I appreciate the desire and effort they have put forth. However, because of the inter-reliance on each other, when one or more mechanic isn’t quite polished it really does pull the whole game down. Conqueror’s Blade attempts to set a new standard for what a tactical action MMO can look like. The game does achieve some of what it sets out to do, with some truly great tactical moments and some epic battle sequences. However, clunky, simple player combat, overwhelming progression systems and lacklustre visuals and open world leave the game feeling underwhelming and a bit disappointing. CPU: Intel Core i3-3225 / AMD X4 B9 CPU SPEED: Info RAM: 8 GB OS: Windows 7 / Windows 8 / Windows 10 ?64 VIDEO CARD: NVidia GeForce GTX 650 / AMD Radeon HD 6790 PIXEL SHADER: 5.0 VERTEX SHADER: 5.0 FREE DISK SPACE: 30 GB DEDICATED VIDEO RAM: 1024 MB
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel has announced plans to slowly ease restrictions brought in to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. Social distancing rules will stay in place until at least 3 May, with Ms Merkel also recommending the use of face masks in shops and on public transport. But as of next week shops under a certain size could open their doors. And schools will gradually start to reopen from 4 May. Ms Merkel said the country had achieved "fragile intermediate success" through the strict measures. The chancellor said the country "must keep focused and keep going", adding that they "do not have a lot of room for manoeuvre". Large public gatherings including religious services will remain banned until 31 August. Bars, cafes, restaurants, cinemas and music venues will all remain closed. What can the UK learn from Germany on testing? German court overturns ban on local beach trips Follow the latest virus updates live According to Germany's Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the country has 127,584 confirmed cases and has reported 3,254 deaths. Ms Merkel's announcement makes Germany the latest European nation to start easing restrictions: Denmark has reopened schools and nurseries for children up to the age of 11 Construction and manufacturing work is back under way in Spain Thousands of smaller shops in Austria reopened on Tuesday, and the country will allow outdoor sport such as tennis, golf and athletics from 1 May Some regions in Italy have reopened bookshops and children's clothing stores France, however, has extended its lockdown measures for four more weeks until 11 May. Belgium will maintain its restrictions until at least 3 May. And in Russia, veterans groups have called for President Vladimir Putin to postpone the World War Two 75th anniversary victory parade planned for 9 May, because of the risk it could pose to participants. What did Ms Merkel say? After a video conference with the heads of Germany's 16 states, Ms Merkel announced the gradual loosening of the strict lockdown measures. Schools can reopen "gradually and very slowly" after 4 May, she said, with new safety measures for breaks and school buses, and priority given to those students with exams. "It will be a great logistical effort and it needs very careful preparation," she said. Shops of up to 800 square metres (8,600 sq ft) could be able to restart their businesses from Monday, provided they have "plans to maintain hygiene", she said. But the lockdown is far from over. The chancellor strongly recommended people don protective face masks while shopping and while taking public transport, saying this "will help to protect other people". It makes Germany the latest country to issue guidance on face masks in public - although Ms Merkel did not make it mandatory. Why you now have to wear a mask in Austrian shops Irish citizen questioned over €15m mask scam Europe's biggest economy entered a recession in March, its economy ministry said, citing "collapsing global demand, interruption of supply chains, changes in consumer behaviour and uncertainty among investors". The German government last month passed a stimulus package worth €750bn (£653bn; $816bn) in a bid to help ease the effect of the virus.
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NEWS18 » LIFESTYLE1-MIN READ Oprah Winfrey to Address Covid-19 Impact On Black Community Earlier this month, Oprah Winfrey announced she is donating $10 million to aid the fight against the coronavirus. Now, the upcoming episode of 'Oprah Talks COVID-19' will focus on the deadly virus and its impact on black America. IANSUpdated:April 15, 2020, 5:40 PM ISTfacebookTwitter Pocket Oprah Winfrey to Address Covid-19 Impact On Black CommunityOprah Winfrey, Golden Globe Awards (Reuters) Talk show host-producer-philanthropist Oprah Winfrey will be addressing issues affecting the African-American community amid the COVID-19 pandemic as part of her latest TV special. The upcoming episode of 'Oprah Talks COVID-19' will focus on the deadly virus and its impact on black America, reports aceshowbiz.com. Winfrey wrote on Twitter: "This coronavirus is shaking up the world. I hope you'll join me to understand why COVID-19 is having such a deadly impact on black America as I speak to leaders in our community and family members who are having to bury their dead alone." During the TV event, which will air on the Oprah Winfrey Network and AppleTV+, Winfrey will sit down with "leaders, doctors, journalists, and real people suffering in this pandemic." Earlier this month, Winfrey announced she is donating $10 million to aid the fight against the coronavirus.
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The Parts Alliance concluded their latest hugely successful promotion by revealing the winner of an incredible prize on Tuesday 25th June. Sefket Ibrahim of Rose Motors won a brand new Porsche 911 Carrera. The car is new for 2019 as the eighth-generation 922 version of the iconic classic and retails for nearly £100,000. The invitation-only promotion enabled customers to earn extra points on The Parts Alliance’s loyalty programme. In addition, prize draws were made regularly throughout, culminating in this final jaw-dropping prize. “Rewarding customers is a great way to thank them for the support that helps us keep on developing our business and the service we can offer,” said Steve Gray, Divisional Director of The Parts Alliance. “We always produce great prizes but in truth, nothing has ever matched the Porsche 911 for sheer excitement.” Rose Motors is a longstanding customer of the group’s Allparts Enfield branch. The garage has been on its current site since the 1970s and under current ownership for 7 years, specialising in BMW and Mini. “We got a call about a visit on Tuesday from the branch,” said Sefket Ibrahim, owner of Rose Motors. “Then there were a couple of other calls checking I was in. “They said I’d won a prize and asked me to go outside a take a look. It was just total shock when I saw a transporter box with a brand new Porsche in it. “I couldn’t believe it and it was my birthday the next day so it was an amazing present!” The actual car is now being ordered to bespoke customer specification, for factory production. “This was a truly exceptional prize,” said Neil Croxson, President and COO of The Parts Alliance. “Behind eye-catching initiatives like these come tremendous amounts of investment and hard work. “Within the last 6 months we’ve increased stock holding, opened new branches and launched our National Distribution Centre.” The group is showing no signs of slowing down its ambitious plans. Behind a complex operation is a simple philosophy; making sure UK garages can get the right products at the right prices when they need them.
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At the weekend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the next three to four weeks would be "critical" to prevent the spread of coronavirus in India. Ever since its first case was confirmed on 30 January, India has taken a number of measures to try and combat the coronavirus. It has eased testing eligibility and invoked a draconian 122-year-old colonial-era epidemic diseases law to restrict public gatherings, among other things. Now it is set to extend a strict three-week lockdown - scheduled to end on 15 April - until the end of the month. More than a billion people continue to stay at home and land, rail and air transport remain suspended. There have been some 180,000 tests for the infection so far. Some 4.3% of the samples have tested positive. The contagion has killed 273 people. It has reportedly spread to nearly half of the country's 700-odd districts. Several hotspots have been identified. Global health experts are keenly looking at how India battles the virus. Its dense po[CENSORED]tion, vast geography and weak public health system can easily overwhelm the best efforts to contain the spread of infection. "It is something which is worrying a lot of people, " a leading virologist told me, insisting on anonymity. "It is early days yet in the trajectory of the virus here. In three to four weeks, the picture will be clearer." Economist Shamika Ravi, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who is closely tracking the infection, believes India is not doing badly. She says the number of active cases is doubling every seven days, a slower rate than before. The death rate is still low but rising. "Our [infection] growth rate is highly contained despite the fact that we are actively chasing the fire," she told me. "Almost all of our testing has been driven by protocol, starting with people with travel history, contact tracing of people in touch with them and so on. The probability of getting more positive cases [from this cohort] would have been much higher." Many are also pointing to the lack of reports about any surge in hospital admissions with influenza like illness and Covid-19 patients, which would hint at a rapid community transmission. But this may well be because of lack of information or weak reporting. A private hospital in the central city of Indore, as I reported, is already seeing a surge of cases and treating more than 140 Covid-19 patients, with nearly a third in critical care. At the weekend the hospital was reporting around 40 fresh cases a day. "We thought the transmission was going down, but our case load went up suddenly over two days," Dr Ravi Dosi, a chest specialist, at the hospital, told me. Others like T Jacob John, a retired professor of virology at Christian Medical College, Vellore, believe India must prepare for the worst. "I don't think we have yet understood the enormity of the problem that is likely to befall us in the next two months," he told me. "For much too long the virus dictated our responses rather than the other way round". Dr John says India's response has been largely "evidence-based and reactive when it should have been projection-based and pro-active". Inside India's busiest Covid-19 hospital India's health ministry has strenuously denied there has been community transmission even as doctors from all over the country say they have been seeing patients with Covid-19 like symptoms from early March. "The entire focus seems to on finding evidence of community transmission, It's a tactical error," says Dr John. "We all know community transmission is there." Dr Ravi believes that going forward, "every week is critical now". Easing the lockdown to prevent an economic meltdown and flattening the curve of the virus will now require more surveillance testing to find out who's infected and who's not. India would then need millions of testing kits and trained manpower to handle the process. Testing is also a highly involved process, which includes ensuring a cold chain for and smooth transport of tens of thousands of samples to the labs. India's resources are finite and capacity is limited. One way to get around this, says Dr Ravi, is "pool testing". This involves collecting a number of samples in a tube and testing them with a single real time coronavirus test based on swabbing of the nose and throat, as recommended by the WHO. If the test is negative, all the people tested are negative. If it's positive, every person has to be tested individually for the virus. "Pool testing" reduces the time needed to test large swathes of the po[CENSORED]tion. "If there's no trace of the infection in some districts, then we can open them up for economic activity," says Dr Ravi. Virologists believe that India should also do mass anti-body testing - a finger prick blood test to look for the presence of protective antibodies. Why India cannot afford to lift its lockdown The blood test is easier and quicker to scale up than, say administering polio drops for immunisation, which India has successfully done. "We need antibody testing as a public health tool rather than a diagnostic tool," says one virologist. "We need to identify people who have recovered from the infection and send them back to work because they are no longer at risk." Along with this, India needs to look at plasma therapy, virologists I spoke to said. This involves using blood with consent from patients who have successfully fought the infection. This antibody-rich blood plasma can be infused into sick patients. Many doctors say it is a "hopeful milestone' in treating the disease. Most virologists I spoke to are unanimous that India should be testing "much, much more". Ideally, one of them told me, any person with "any upper respiratory tract infection" should be eligible for a test. India doesn't have a culture of testing for infectious diseases because most citizens cannot afford them. Risk mitigation is not ingrained in the culture. "We tend to treat instead of testing. We rely on medical signs and symptoms [of a disease] rather than the cause or set of causes of a disease or condition," a virologist observed. "We do tests only when we are sick." It is all right, says Dr John, that the government is "fighting the war on the virus with the might of its administrative muscle". But that might be not enough. The race to stop the virus in Asia's 'biggest slum' Many complain that beyond motivational appeals by the prime minister and routine briefings by bureaucrats, information around the transmission of the virus and scale of testing has been often opaque and evasive. Wearing masks was made mandatory only last week. With its excellent public health system and response, only the southern state of Kerala appears to have flattened the curve so far. "This is going to be a long haul. We can't be treating India as one episode of flattening the curve and be done with it. The virus doesn't lose virulence," says a virologist. "And all the states are not going to see a rise and fall in the curve at the same time." The weeks ahead will possibly tell us whether India will face an exponential rise in infections or begin to flatten the curve. "This is a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle. There are not going to be any easy answers," says Dr John.
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Right now we're faced with one of the biggest challenges any of us have ever witnessed. How we react to the current pandemic will define our future. Most of us have been told to shelter inside and only leave to get basic necessities or if we have an “essential” job. COVID-19 will have most of us staying in our homes for weeks, if not months. The new working and living arrangement dealt to us by the pandemic might feel OK to some of the introverts out there. But many others find themselves suffering after the first few weeks of confinement. Most people feel a little cabin fever and would like to freely leave home and just go somewhere — anywhere. Related: 8 Ways for Your Business to Stay Ahead During the Coronavirus Outbreak Isolation and concern over the situation can impact our mental health. However, entrepreneurs should find ways to remain calm for their loved ones and even their businesses, if they run them from home. Here are five ways to remain calm during these uncertain times that will help each of us survive and even thrive. Get in some exercise You’ve likely read that physical movement and exercise regulates your hormones, helps you sleep and steadies your emotions. Now more than ever, it may be time to get started on those exercise resolutions and actually achieve them this year. The extra time you gain from no longer having a commute may leave plenty of time for physical activity. Related: 5 Workouts You Can Do at Home for Free Right Now Squeeze in an online workout between work hours. There are many options, including yoga and meditation videos, on social media sites, including YouTube and Facebook Live. Personal trainers who can no longer work in gyms because they’ve been closed are also offering online training sessions through services like Zoom. Or, if your at-home exercise equipment is covered in dust, it’s an opportunity to clean it up and earn a return on the investment you made to buy it. Get a breath of fresh air and vitamin D When being cooped up starts to feel suffocating, go outside for fresh air. Hang out in your backyard or on your balcony or take a brisk walk through your neighborhood. It can give you a sense of freedom and space that alleviates the claustrophobia. Sometimes, just a change of scenery can fix your mood. Since spring has arrived, there’s also more sunshine. Those rays from the sun are an essential source of vitamin D to help fortify your immune system. You’ll still need to maintain a safe distance from others and stick to areas around your home, because most parks and trails are closed. If you’re fortunate enough to live close to forests or other natural areas, take advantage of that connection to nature. Family counts Enjoy the time with your family or roommates. It’s not always easy to spend so much time with people who you usually don’t see all hours of the day, but make the best of it. These people make up a valuable support system. See this increased interaction as an opportunity to bring your family closer together. You can help make your family feel better and address concerns that may have been lingering for months or years. You might never get another chance to bond quite like this, so enjoy it. If you’re still running your own company or working for your employer, take regular breaks, have lunch with your kids or take a walk with your significant other. Schedule for structure If you’ve ever had a “staycation” during the holidays or summer break, then you know how easy it is to lose track of what day it is or how much time you spend binge-watching a streaming channel. Don’t let yourself live in your pajamas and watch the days melt together. Related: 5 Ways to Set Good Habits That Actually Stick Give yourself a sense of purpose and structure by creating a written schedule for your business and your family. Set specific hours for work and other activities each day. This will give comfort to the kids — and to your company's bottom line. By accomplishing things each day, your business performs better, and you build a sense of normalcy that creates good habits. Reduce the news It’s good to stay updated on recent events and know where things stand. However, the amount of information on this pandemic — both real and fake — can easily become overwhelming. Decrease your media consumption, and you’ll see your anxiety go down. Replace scrolling through the news with phone calls with friends and distant relatives who can help bring you comfort and joy. Try different combinations of news consumption. I try to limit my intake to less than 30 minutes a day, but do what feels right for you. One of the many things online that shows this is all about perspective is a meme that says, “You are not stuck inside. You are safe inside.” Look at the positive side, and remember our actions determine how this turns out. What we can do now may save lives and bring us closer together than ever before as communities and as families. More From Entrepreneur.
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There’s an updated Hyundai i30N due later this year. And there’s exceedingly strong evidence it’s going to come with the option of a paddleshift gearbox. “It’s coming” reads the caption of Hyundai N’s Instagram post over Easter weekend. “The fun-to-drive feeling of N, with the N 8-Speed Wet Dual-Clutch Transmission.” The excessively caps locked statement sits below a video of a Hyundai Veloster N being skidded around some kind of warehouse, its driver flicking steering wheel-mounted paddles and activating something called ‘Grin Shift’. A previous Insta post shows this to have a 20-second countdown attached to it, but contains no further details. A push-to-pass boost feature like you get in Porsches these days? Perhaps… While these posts very much centre around the US-market Veloster N, that car is basically the non-identical twin of Europe’s i30N hot hatch. So it’d be a huge surprise if this eight-speed auto remained Stateside and wasn’t added to the options list of our hot Hyundai, too. Expect this gearbox to find its place in the brochure (well, online configurator) of the facelifted i30N, which we’d expect to see at some point in 2020 given Hyundai’s already shown us the regular i30 in nipped and tucked form, and which is pictured above in almost quick N-line spec. Meaning it’ll be an i30N with more aggressive, squintier headlights, digital dials and – we suspect – an electronic handbrake. Which on the surface of it, is a bit of a concern: the current i30N delights so much because of its slightly raw, rough around the edges approach to hot hatchery and its analogue dials, traditional handbrake and manual gearbox no doubt contribute to helping it stand out from slicker rivals. So here’s hoping Hyundai keeps its dynamics wild, and a stick-shift transmission standard for some time yet. And it will, if N division boss Albert Biermann is true to the words he uttered when the i30N first launched in 2017 as we asked about whether a paddleshifter was in development. “We are developing such a transmission in Hyundai and we are thinking sooner or later to bring it in to the range,” he said. But will N cars always offer a transmission choice? “Yes. Manual has to survive of course!”
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ALGIERS - President of the Republic Abdelmadjid Tebboune said on Monday in Algiers, that the national healthcare system will be reviewed and the working conditions of the sector’s professionals will be improved, hailing their efforts in confronting the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking to doctors at the Internal Medicine Wing of Beni Messous University Hospital, the President pledged to review the national healthcare system and improve the working conditions of health sector professionals, commending the great efforts they are making to combat the coronavirus pandemic amid the huge difficulties they are facing. President of the Republic said that the working conditions and wage grid of doctors will be reviewed, adding that the top priority is overcome difficulties. President Tebboune visits patients diagnosed with coronavirus in Algiers In this regard, he said: "the situation is under control and today we are combating this disease with to faith and determination." The President also praised the solidarity and fraternal spirit that the Algerian people have demonstrated during these circumstances our country is experiencing due to the pandemic, regarding this spirit as a "new start for Algeria." that the Algerian people have demonstrated during the circumstances our country is experiencing due to the pandemic, regarding this spirit as a "new start for Algeria"
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MINSK (Reuters) - Belarus is the only country in Europe still playing soccer amid the coronavirus pandemic but a growing number of fans are boycotting league matches, anxious about catching the disease. The latest figures show Belarus has 2,226 cases, with 23 deaths. The clubs say they must comply with the federation’s decision. “The federation decided to play - so we play,” Neman’s coach Igor Kovalevich said, adding the club was taking appropriate safety measures like using hand sanitizers and making sure that fans do not sit close to each other. ADVERTISEMENT Supporters like Vladimir, who came to the stadium, had few concerns. “Am I worried or not worried? I guess most likely not,” he said. “Because first of all there are not many people coming to watch football, there are no crowds. And all measures are taken at the stadium.” But others are not so sanguine. Nikolay Zolotov is a Belarusian who plays for Russian club Ural Yekaterinburg. In an interview with tribuna.com, he compared the situation to the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident in the former Soviet Union, where the authorities concealed the scale of the disaster to the general public for a long time. “No one really knows how many people are sick, where they are sick, how they are treated,” he was quoted as saying. “I thought: has nothing really changed in 34 years?” Zolotov lives in Vitebsk, which ranks second, after Minsk, in the number of coronavirus cases. Lukashenko, who has ruled the country with an iron fist since 1994, has called fears about coronavirus a “psychosis”, prescribed drinking vodka and going to saunas to battle the disease, and said he was more worried about the economy.
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Separated letters and a narrower stroke give the VW emblem a modernist twist. Volkswagen unveiled its new corporate logo last year, but unlike BMW, the Wolfsburg automaker will actually put it on its cars. A modernized version of the iconic VW badge first appeared on the 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport, and the company released another image of it adorning a refreshed 2021 Atlas. The new logo is characterized by a narrower stroke for both the letters and the circular band that encapsulates them. There’s also a distinct separation between the V and the W, and the W itself “floats” above the circle. Overall, the new emblem looks lighter and less bulky. Research the Volkswagen Atlas on MSN Autos The old logo's three-dimensional effect is also gone – when printed on paper or displayed on a screen, the new emblem appears flat, with no highlights or shadows. One of the reasons for that particular change is to make sure the VW branding is flexible enough to be displayed on everything from a smartwatch home screen to a manufacturing facility marquee. Volkswagen isn’t alone in embracing this “digital first” philosophy. BMW did the same when it lightened, flattened, and thinned out its iconic roundel emblem last month, and Nissan is rumored to follow suit.
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Sometimes it's good to be bad, and the powers that be have obviously cottoned on to that with the Disney Villainous expansions. I'm glad they did; the Disney Villainous board game was excellent to begin with, so we won't complain at getting an encore. Or three, to be specific. A trio of Disney Villainous expansions have hit shelves so far - 'Perfectly Wretched', 'Wicked to the Core', and 'Evil Comes Prepared'. These introduce three new characters each, some of which have been highly sought-after since Villainous' release. Scar? Check. Hades? Check. They're fine additions to what you could argue is one of the best board games around. ESSENTIAL INFO (Image credit: Ravensburger) Players: 2-6 Time to play: 40-60 mins Set-up time: 2 mins Complexity: Moderate Avg. price: $25 / £25 Developer: Ravensburger Do they live up to the original, though? It's fair to worry that add-ons won't be as clever as the OG Villainous. Luckily for us, you can set your mind at ease. The opposite is true here. If anything, the expansions are smarter. There are some pretty left-field character choices, too; I get the impression that most of them were selected because they add something genuinely unique to the game rather than for their fan-favorite status. That's the Disney Villainous expansions all over. It seems like a chance for the developers at Ravensburger to stretch their wings. Seeing as these sets are standalone games which only cost $25 / £25 apiece, that's a win-win situation for us. Just remember, they aren't really board games for kids. In spite of what you might assume, the Villainous series is aiming for an older audience; if anything, these are strategic board games for adults that have plenty of depth to lose yourself in. ou can tell that Ravensburger is getting better at this with each new expansion, and Perfectly Wretched is another demonstration of this. It strikes the best balance of complexity and ease out of all the add-ons so far, meaning there's something for everyone to get their teeth into regardless of whether you're an old hand at this or a newcomer. That's because each character - Cruella De Ville, Mother Gothel, and Pete - has a fresh, unique objective that's still easy to understand. More importantly, they're straightforward to learn yet difficult to master. For example, Cruella has to gather 99 puppies to win... but she'll need to draw them out first using special cards. Certain heroes can steal those dogs back, too. Meanwhile, Pete has a different goal for each part of the board and Gothel is trying to win Rapunzel's trust (even as the latter slips away from her tower). It's all pretty simple. Unlike certain characters in the first expansion, there are no confusing rules to wrap your head around. I wouldn't necessarily recommend Perfectly Wretched for those who haven't tried Villainous before - there are easier starting points - but it's not too bad on the whole. As always, the artwork is also superb. Every board and card features paintings that recreate scenes from the movies, giving a thoroughly premium feel to the game (and if you go to Target, you can even get a unique design). The movers are equally impressive. Cruella's massive fur coat is front and center here, while Gothel's token is the flower from Tangled. They definitely live up to earlier installments. Speaking of Tangled, it's cool to see more recent movies sneaking into the roster. It gives me hope that we could get characters from Moana, Frozen, Wreck It Ralph, and beyond in upcoming expansions. Evil Comes Prepared is another winner. Out of the first two expansions (this and Wicked to the Core), I'd say that its characters are the most interesting to use. It also marks Ravensburger's first foray into more unusual choices - who would have anticipated Ratigan? In terms of what's in the box, you'll get Scar from The Lion King - the 1997 version, that is - Ratigan from The Great Mouse Detective, and Yzma from the criminally-underrated Emperor's New Groove. They're all great to play with, but don't push the boat out too far in terms of complexity. That's not to say they're dull, though. As an example, Scar's Fate deck is different to everyone else's. That's because he needs to build a 'Succession' deck out of vanquished heroes, and he'll only win when their combined strength makes 15. It's a similar story with Yzma; her Fate deck is split into four piles. She's got to defeat Emperor Kuzco with right-hand man Kronk, but because Kuzco is hidden in one of those four piles, that's easier said than done (worse still, Kronk may turn against her if she moves him too much). Last but not least is Ratigan, all-round sleazebag and crime lord. He's trying to build a robotic Queen to replace the real deal, but if he fails, his objective changes. He then transforms into the monstrous 'Rat' and must defeat Basil of Baker Street by any means necessary. In other words, they're all interesting enough to convince veterans of Villainous to return. Are they better than characters in the OG game? In some ways, yes. However, they're definitely not as beginner-friendly. Instead, they're a good way to shake up the existing dynamic - not to mention give players a new challenge to master. Villainous' first expansion, Wicked to the Core, draws on almost 70 years of Disney history to give you the Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Hades from Hercules, and Dr Facilier from The Princess and the Frog. All of them are solid additions to the roster, and each one has a fun twist of their own. For instance, the Evil Queen must gather ingredients to create potions that are the only way of defeating her foes. At the other end of the scale, Hades needs to march three Titans from the Underworld to Mount Olympus… but because they move so slowly, he'll have to juggle an onslaught of heroes and effects that trap them in place. Finally, Dr Facilier spends the game building a one-of-a-kind 'Fortune' deck that may contain the card he needs to win. Players can only draw and use three of these cards at random, so the trick is making this deck as small as possible (naturally, your opponents will try to pad it out with duds as well). This is something that really defines Wicked to the Core; the cards that are used against you shake things up almost as much as the playable characters themselves. Unfortunately, it doesn't always hit the mark. Namely, Dr Facilier is tricky to understand. I've been avidly playing Villainous for months, and even I struggled to get a grip on his rules. That's a shame - he's comfortably the most novel of the three, but he's also the most complicated. As such, I wouldn't advise picking Wicked to the Core as your first Villainous experience. Or giving Facilier to a newcomer, for that matter. For those of you who feel you've mastered the original game, though? The expansion's challenges will certainly keep you busy, and Hades is a delight to use (and to look at - his mover is a magnificent pillar of blue flame). It's a strong start to the extended Villainous range.
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V2 Effect & Blur
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Japanese authorities are rushing to house thousands of homeless people following the closure of internet cafes in several major cities. The cafes have become a common destination for those without secure housing. They're often open around the clock and many feature private booths, showers and entertainment, including games. But the businesses have been ordered to close their doors to help contain the spread of coronavirus. While Japan officially has a low homeless rate compared with many other developed nations, more than 4,000 "internet cafe refugees" reside in the capital, Tokyo. Japan country profile City officials say they have begun providing them with hotel rooms and other forms of temporary accommodation. In neighbouring Saitama, authorities have also repurposed a sports hall for 200 people. Tokyo's government says welfare offices can send homeless residents to designated temporary accommodation, according to the Nikkei Asian Review. But Kazuhiro Gokan, a consultant with a local homeless support group, told the newspaper that many people had been turned away because of "a misunderstanding among administrators". Japan has a relatively small number of infections compared with other countries - 6,748 confirmed cases and 108 virus-related deaths as of Sunday. But there are concerns a recent surge in cases in Tokyo could lead to a major outbreak. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has declared a month-long state of emergency, covering Tokyo, Osaka and five other prefectures. The governors of these prefectures now have the power to close schools and businesses, but no legal authority to order citizens to stay at home.
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They should keep taking adequate breaks to avoid sitting for too long in front of a laptop or any screen for that matter, he said, adding that diet is extremely important in these times of restricted activity. "Avoid snacking, don't keep munching unhealthy food, add more fruits and fibres to your daily meal with plenty of fluids and keep your calcium intake right," Singh said. Subhash Jangid, Director and Unit Head, Bone & Joint Institute, Fortis Memorial Research Institute in Gurugram has advised people to do neck stretching exercises and keep the neck and back muscles strong in this period of lockdown. "People with cervical issues should avoid any heavy weights," Jangid said. "For people with back problems, you can walk in your home. Make a schedule, fix a time and walk at a length for half-hour to stay active. In case you do not have ample space for a walk, take out your yoga mat or a bedsheet, you can do pilates or soft yoga poses to improve your core strength and stability," he said. Some such exercises are - chair stand, single leg raise, heel raise, front plank on table. People can also do a plank and a child's pose to gain strength for the back. The doctor added that dancing is a great way of staying active and keeping the family bond strong. Alternatively, one can do skipping, Zumba, yoga or pilates or floor exercises. "Stand or walk around while talking over the phone, rather than sitting down," the doctor said. According to Viju Thomas (PT), Head Of Department, Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Department, Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute in New Delhi, people who are working from home need to be more careful. "Do 'Surya Namaskar' every morning and walk in your room. If one is already on therapy then be in contact with your physiotherapist and keep taking advice to follow," said Thomas.
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More automakers are selling cars online in China as worried consumers stay away from showrooms to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Chinese carmaker Geely is the latest to launch a new online service to try to boost sales in the country. It joins the likes of Tesla, BMW and Mercedes-Benz who are now actively marketing cars over the internet. The online trend comes amid a downturn in car sales in China, which plummeted 92% in the first half of February. Car sales in China fall 92% as coronavirus hits Fiat warns of coronavirus risk to Europe car plant Jaguar Land Rover 'shipping parts in suitcases' Geely, which owns black cab maker The London Electric Vehicle Company and Volvo, said customers can now order and customise their cars on its website. China's largest privately-owned car maker will also offer test drives without potential customers needing to visit the showroom, as the car can be driven directly to their home address. Geely calls it a fully "contactless" vehicle purchasing service. Mercedes-Benz said it was working closely with its Chinese dealer partners to support its online channels. "In face of the current situation, we have extended our online offer and observe a positive response from our customers," a spokesman for the German car maker said. Consulting firm Frost & Sullivan estimates that almost 825,000 new vehicles were sold online globally in 2019, either through online financing or by making a part payment online. It estimates that by 2025, 6 million vehicles will be sold through online platforms and says "the coronavirus will provide impetus to digital retailing for cars". "As witnessed in China the postponement of purchase decision is encouraging vehicle manufacturers to redirect resources towards online marketing and e-commerce platforms," said Sarwant Singh, managing partner at Frost & Sullivan. Carmakers such as Tesla and BMW have also started to promote products heavily online as Chinese authorities warned people to stay away from public places. Elon Musk's Tesla has already been shifting to selling more cars online to stay ''financially sustainable''. Car sales in China dropped 92% for the first half of February, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). It said there was "barely anybody at car dealers in the first week of February as most people stayed at home". China is the world's biggest car market, selling more than 21 million vehicles last year.
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The United States now has now overtaken Italy to have the highest death toll from coronavirus in the world. The latest data, compiled by Johns Hopkins University, shows more than 20,000 people in the US have now died. The grim milestone comes shortly after the US became the first nation to record more than 2,000 virus deaths in a single day. The governor of New York Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday the state's death toll appeared to be stabilising. Announcing a 24-hour figure of 783 new deaths, he noted the last several days had seen around the same number. "That is not an all-time high, and you can see that the number is somewhat stabilising but it is stabilising at a horrific rate," Mr Cuomo said. "These are just incredible numbers depicting incredible loss and pain." New York state has become the epicentre of the outbreak in the US, recording more than 180,000 of the country's estimated 520,000 cases. Killed by a virus he thought had been overhyped Why some US churches are still open this Easter A New York paramedic's coronavirus diary As of Saturday, every single US state has declared a disaster in response to the outbreak. In other developments on Saturday: A further 917 deaths were recorded in the UK, bringing the national total to 9,875 The Queen released an Easter message in which she says "coronavirus will not overcome us" The Spanish health ministry reported 510 further deaths - the lowest number recorded there for almost three weeks Deaths in France and Italy increased but numbers of patients in intensive care dropped again There are reports that the Indian prime minister has agreed to extend lockdown measures More than 100,000 have now died with the virus around the world since the pandemic broke out in China in December. What is the latest across the US? As of Saturday afternoon Italy had reported 19,468 coronavirus deaths while the US had 20,283, according to the Johns Hopkins tally. There are now at least 522,286 recorded cases of Covid-19 across the United States. Dr Anthony Fauci, US infectious diseases chief, has said the country is "starting to see the levelling off and coming down" of cases and deaths but says mitigation efforts such as social distancing should not be pulled back yet. Federal social distancing recommendations, issued by President Donald Trump, are currently in place until 30 April. The president is facing twin pressures from the outbreak: with at least 16 million jobs lost in recent weeks as virus restrictions cripple the country's economy. He said on Friday that a new council, made up of business and medical figures, would be announced next week to help him with the "biggest decision I've ever had to make" on when to relax measures. It comes as Congress continues to spar over the next stage of Covid-19 financial relief. Democrats want a new proposed $250bn (£200bn) bill to help small businesses to also allow for additional funding for hospitals and local governments. But on Saturday the two top Republicans in Congress, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, rejected the demand. In a statement they described the move as a "reckless threat" which blocked "job-saving funding".
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Amid COVID-19 lockdown and in an attempt to send a message of communal harmony, renowned classical singer Ustad Rashid Khan has decided to go digital to mesmerise his audience through various social media platforms. He has also composed three ‘bhajans’ (devotional songs) written by Narayan Jha Agarwal. Ustad Rashid Khan said, “There is a lockdown everywhere and therefore I have decided to go digital. My son helped me in setting up the digital platform. I think through this digital platform, I will be able to stand with the nation in spreading the message of love and brotherhood. There is nothing to distress people through music and it will be a small contribution from my side to my beloved India.” He said, “I have composed couple of bhajans including ‘yeh andhiyara mith jayega, raat nahi rehne wali, jago jago utkar dekho.. purab main ayi lali’ (This darkness will go, it’s not going to remain forever, woke up and see there is a sunrise). Another two bhajans, which I composed were ‘dheere dheere re mana’ and ‘subah ho shaam tera naam japu’. These are wonderful bhajans and perfectly suitable for current pandemic situation in the world.” The musical maestro already recorded songs for the much-awaited annual ‘Sankat Mochan Sangeet Samaroh’ (music and dance festivals) at the Sankat Mochan temple. This year the musical festival will be held from April 12 to 17 and
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Welsh firms are expected to suffer as almost all UK carmakers halt production to cope with the coronavirus crisis. There are 120 factories in Wales employing about 18,000 people making parts for car companies. The biggest - Bridgend's Ford engine plant - halts work on Wednesday and its 1,200 workers will be sent home on basic pay. Ford says it will reopen in mid-April but it is due to close completely in the autumn. Employees will be keen the closure date is not brought forward. The plant makes engines for Ford cars assembled in mainland Europe and for Jaguar. 'Unprecedented' crowds in Wales despite warnings 70,000 people in Wales told 'stay indoors' How many people have died in Wales? Tim Williams, of the Wales Automotive Forum, said firms which make components were holding meetings to decide whether to close in line with vehicle manufacturers. "We are keeping in close contact with them and are concerned about how they handle the cuts in production as major plants are shutting down," he said. So-called "just-in-time" production methods have radically reduced the stock factories hold. As a result, if big car companies halt production, smaller suppliers feel the effects faster. Chancellor Rishi Sunak's measures to pay towards firms' salary bills have been welcomed by the Society of Motor Manufacturers. However its chief executive Mike Hawes said: "Ninety-nine percent of UK automotive output is now halted, meaning that thousands of businesses are counting their future not in months or weeks, but in days. "We need these measures implemented swiftly," he said.