U.S. Marines who deployed to support the Guatemalan Military with Operation Martillo in Retalhuleu, Guatemala, also provided a helping hand to repair a bridge and a medical center. During a visit in September 2012 to the temporary U.S. Cooperative Security Location, Major General Ulises Noé Anzueto Girón, Guatemala’s minister of defense, and the U.S. ambassador to Guatemala, Arnold A. Chacon, stopped by a bridge that had been repaired by U.S. Marines at the Retalhuleu Southern Air Command. Now, water runoff from the base goes through a culvert instead of eroding the land. The work took three weeks, and the bridge and culvert are expected to last up to 10 years, the Marines said. Work on the medical center and medical ward included electrical system repairs, plumbing hardware updates, installation of air conditioning units, and maintenance renovations to both the ceiling and roof to prevent the growth of mold through leaks. Source: Diálogo By Dialogo January 01, 2013
His name is Rick Pedro and he’s playing a key role in raising the spirits of nursing home residents across the Southern Tier. (WBNG) — One Apalachin man is doing his part to keep senior citizens happy during the pandemic. Pedro has stopped by nursing homes in the area playing his piano. He took advantage of the weather on Thursday to play at United Methodist Hilltop Campus. He says he hopes to give residents and staff a break from being cooped up inside. “Music kind of goes across the spectrum,” Pedro told 12 News. “It reaches everybody. An upbeat song or a slower song, I think a song always brings a memory, and hopefully we’ll bring a lot of good memories. Let people escape from being inside so much the way it is right now.” Pedro says he plans on playing for the Brookedale Assited Living Facility
On Thursday, July 18, 2019, the European Commission announced the “World Bridge Tourism” competition with the aim of increasing the number of Chinese travelers to the European Union, especially high-income FITs (Free Individual Travelers), interested in lesser-known destinations and trips. outside the main season and to stimulate investment opportunities for companies from the European Union. The tender documentation is located HERE. Source / photo: Ministry of Tourism The specific objectives of the tender are to bring together EU tour operators from different EU Member States by helping them to create flexible transnational partnerships, to provide business opportunities for EU tour operators to connect with relevant Chinese (B2B) operators, with priority given to small and medium-sized enterprises. operate in more than one EU Member State and support the development and visibility of trans-European tourism products in China. The deadline for applications is September 24, 2019.
More importantly, Faizasyah said the two leaders would discuss the Indonesia-Australia comprehensive economic partnership agreement (IA-CEPA), which is in the final stage of ratification process at the House of Representatives.“The ratification is one thing that we have been waiting for. Australia has already completed it, while Indonesia is in the final stage. Hopefully, once it is all completed, we can begin working on what we call ‘the low-hanging fruit’ so that we can implement the agreement,” he said.At the meeting, the two countries are set to launch a plan of action for 2020-2024 as the reference for the implementation of the IA-CEPA, he added.The last time the two leaders met for an annual meeting was in 2018, when Morrison visited Indonesia for his first overseas visit as prime minister. They skipped the 2019 meeting due to elections in their respective countries, Faizasyah said.Topics : President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo will visit Australia this weekend, the Foreign Ministry has said, as Indonesia is set to finalize the ratification of a landmark trade deal with the neighbor down under.Jokowi will meet with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison for an annual leaders meeting in Canberra on Sunday and Monday, Foreign Ministry acting spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah told reporters on Thursday.“Unlike the previous annual leaders meeting, this year will mark the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Australia and Indonesia,” he said.
KPK deputy for prevention Pahala Nainggolan said BPJS Kesehatan could cut the cost of cataract operations, which in 2018 came to Rp 2 trillion.“Because there is no guideline on how severe the eye blurring must be, people just went to get the cataract treatment, even when their eyes weren’t that blurry,” Pahala said.He said the government should limit claims for diseases caused by “unhealthy lifestyles”, which he said included diabetes, cancer, strokes and kidney failure. The bill for these diseases in 2018 came to Rp 28 trillion, or around 30 percent of the year’s total claims.The government could save Rp 2.8 trillion by limiting these claims, he said.BJPS Kesehatan should fully enforce the requirement that customers pay 10 percent of the bill, especially for the economically able. This would bring savings of Rp 2.2 trillion from the Rp 22 trillion of individual claims in 2018.A further Rp 6.6 trillion in savings could be made by readjusting hospital classes, Pahala said, noting that 898 out the 7,000 hospitals that partnered with BPJS Kesehatan had been put in the wrong class, leading to customers claiming more money than the actual cost of the services the hospitals had provided.As about 4.5 million people have private health insurance, Pahala said, the government should coordinate with the private health insurers regarding the benefits clients are entitled to. He added that BPJS Kesehatan could allocate up to Rp 600 billion worth of claims every year to private insurers.“BPJS Kesehatan can save Rp 12.2 trillion if it implements our recommendations,” he said, adding that the report had been submitted to the Health Ministry late last year after the appointment of minister Terawan Agus Putranto.Launched in 2014, BPJS Kesehatan now covers about 223 million Indonesians, or 83 percent of the population, with more than 30 million individual customers and around 54 million workers covered by state institutions or private companies.Even before the KPK study, many patients were already feeling the pinch as hospitals cut back services where they could. There were reports of patients being discharged 24 hours after surgery because hospitals had come under pressure from BPJS Kesehatan, which is reportedly scrutinizing all the bills they submit.The KPK study notes that many individual customers, as opposed to those whose premiums are paid by their employers, stopped paying the premium after initial use. This caused Rp 5.6 trillion in premium arrears in 2018.“We support the success of this universal healthcare program. Everyone in Indonesia has to be covered,” Pahala said. (mfp)Topics : Before the ruling, the premium for first-class service had been increased to Rp 160,000 from Rp 80,000, the second class to Rp 110,000 from Rp 51,000 and the third class to Rp 42,000 from Rp 25,000. Premiums approximately doubled across all service tiers.The study of BPJS Kesehatan finances is a manifestation of the KPK’s new approach to fighting corruption: working with state institutions on ways to prevent corruption, rather than catching perpetuators of graft in the act. The KPK has regularly conducted such assessments since its establishment in 2003, but the recent study of BPJS was the first following the enactment of the new KPK law, which removed many of its tools to fight corruption, and the introduction of a new set of commissioners in December.“The government assumed that the premiums weren’t enough, so it raised them,” KPK deputy chairman Nurul Ghufron said recently. “We at the KPK see it differently.”The KPK study says the Health Ministry should enforce all essential medical practice guidelines to help hospitals limit unnecessary treatment. It notes that by June of last year, the ministry had only achieved 32 practice guidelines out of the 80 planned. The heavily indebted national healthcare system received a big blow when the Supreme Court rejected a hefty increase in premiums this month, but the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) says the government could cover the deficit by going for greater cost efficiency.The KPK says its study of the finances of the Health Care and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan), which runs the national health insurance system, shows the agency could save as much Rp 12.2 trillion (US$833 million) by enforcing better insurance claim management.BPJS Kesehatan recorded a Rp 13 trillion deficit last year as premium collection fell short while claims soared. It had begun collecting the higher premiums in January and meeting backpays of Rp 4 trillion owed to hospitals, but it must now refund the money and will likely stop paying hospitals following the court ruling.
Topics : It’s the key that opens to door from total lockdown: serologic testing, which will show definitively who has contracted COVID-19 and is in theory safe to return to work.”Everyone’s waiting for serologic testing, the whole world,” said France’s Health Minister Olivier Veran. He said that the global research community was focusing on ways of perfecting the tests, which measure viral antibodies in a person’s blood that signal immunity. Caveats The tests aren’t the perfect solution, however. “They have to be used carefully. Used too early, the convalescent patient may still be carrying and shedding the virus, they may still be a risk to others,” said Michael Skinner, a reader in Virology at Imperial College London. It’s due to this risk that countries are likely to continue producing and using RT-PCR tests and combine them with the serological versions.”You might see a mix of the two: one diagnosis to see if you’re still contagious and a serological test to know if you have antibodies,” said Blanchecotte.Another potential pitfall is that it not yet known for certain whether people who have recovered from COVID-19 are immune to reinfection.”In a vast majority of infectious diseases, recovery from disease and evidence of a strong immune response would lead to a period of immunity from re-occurrence,” said Preston.”[But] the caveat is that we don’t know for sure that a positive antibody test does imply someone is immune [from COVID-19].”Most countries in lockdown still lack testing capacity, so it is not at all clear when restrictions on movement could be lifted, even with a widely available antibody test.But serologic tests are the only way to know for sure what percentage of humanity has been infected with COVID-19, which will help inform a variety of current unknowns, not least mortality rates. Veran said that mass production of the tests could start within weeks. “It’s a huge factor, especially when we’re trying to reduce confinement,” he said.The World Health Organization said that serologic tests were still being developed but were yet to be properly evaluated. 
‘Great interest’ Current diagnostic tests, known as RT-PCR, are invasive and use genetic analysis to see if a person is actively infected.Serologic testing, which only requires a drop of blood to conduct, focuses instead on finding virus antibodies, the presence of which indicates that an individual has had COVID-19 and is now likely immune.”Antibodies are one of the key immune response components. They start to be detectable around a week after initial infection,” said Andrew Preston, a reader in Microbial Pathogenesis at the University of Bath.There are two types of antibodies associated with the COVID-19 immune response: IgM, which the body produces in the early stages of viral response, and IgG, which arrive later on during infection. The tests being developed can identify both antibodies, key hallmarks of a patient’s auto-immune response to the virus.”Thus there is great interest in the use of an antibody test to indicate immunity against disease for use in the lifting of lockdown restrictions,” said Preston. Supply problemAntibody testing is so crucial because of the large proportion of people with COVID-19 infections who may not show symptoms but can still pass the virus on to others.Such tests already exist for other illnesses. And once they are perfected for the novel coronavirus the results can be analyzed in labs using existing hardware.Once widely available, they could be used to determine who gets to return to work and exit the lockdown currently being experienced by billions around the world.”The main question is how to ensure everyone can return to work,” Francois Blanchecotte, president of the French Union of Biologists, told AFP.In Italy, the president of the Venice region Luca Zaia, has proposed that returning workers carry a document after testing to prove they aren’t contagious.Similar measures have been proposed in Germany.”A GP told me yesterday that if I gave him a serologic test and it showed that he’s immune, he would offer his services to a neighboring hospital’s COVID-19 unit in an flash,” said Philippe Herent, director of the Synlab Opale group of laboratories. He however cautioned that global demand for the tests is likely to significantly outstrip demand, and production remains limited.
A European insurance company has tendered a €200m Asia ex Japan equity mandate using IPE-Quest.The company behind search QN1451 said it preferred an active management style to invest in large-cap Asian equities.The investor said it expected this to be done with a growth and value investment style bias.Managers should observe a minimum tracking error of 3% against the MSCI AC Asia ex Japan or MSCI EM Asia indices. The insurance company stipulated the tracking error should not extend above 14%.Interested managers must have at least $500m (€390m) in assets under management within the mandate, and $1bn in assets overall.There is a minimum requirement of a three-year track record, although the investor stated a preference for a five-year record for the fund.All requirements for tracking error, assets under management and track records are soft limits.Applicants have until 22 September to apply.Performance should be stated to 30 June and provided gross of fees.The IPE.com news team is unable to answer any further questions about IPE-Quest tender notices to protect the interests of clients conducting the search. To obtain information direct from IPE-Quest, please contact Jayna Vishram on +44 (0) 20 7261 4630 or email jayna.vishram@ipe-quest.com.
August 31, 2018 Police Blotter083118 Decatur County Jail Report083118 Decatur County Fire Report083118 Decatur County Law Report083118 Decatur County EMS Report083118 Batesville Police Blotter
The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure had pledged a large proportion of the £25million needed to renovate the ground, which is home to Linfield as well as hosting Northern Ireland’s national side. Work is due to start in February but Ni Chuilin has suggested that money may not be forthcoming if the Irish Football Association cannot prove they uphold “appropriate governance”. That is understood to be a reference to the return to prominence of former IFA treasurer David Martin, who was recently elected as first deputy president. Martin left the IFA board in 2010 alongside then president Raymond Kennedy after former chief executive Howard Wells successfully pursued a £500,000 unfair dismissal case against the association. Ni Chuilin’s predecessor Nelson McAusland duly registered formal misgivings about the running of the IFA and Martin’s re-emergence has apparently given DCAL cause for concern. “Any organisation that is in receipt of funding from government has an appropriate responsibility to ensure governance is upheld,” read a statement from DCAL. “DCAL (Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure) is working with the IFA to review the implications of recent changes to their articles of association.” BBC Sport also reported that Ni Chuilin had told the Northern Ireland Assembly: “I need to be assured that appropriate governance and accountability structures have been maintained. “Until that happens, I can’t sign off on any agreement.” Last week IFA president Jim Shaw had attempted to play down the issue, but insisted he would continue to monitor the situation. “No-one has approached me with strong feelings about the election of David Martin and the fact is that there was a democratic process in place and David was elected,” he said. “At this moment in time there is nothing to suggest funding will not be forthcoming. “The biggest task the IFA has at this moment is to ensure the new stadium is built. Government funding is needed for the project and of course it is a concern if they money is not assured. “We will continue to work with the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure to ensure it does happen. “DCAL will have their own views but we talk informally on a regular basis and I’m sure there will be more discussions sooner rather than later.” The planned redevelopment of Windsor Park is up in the air after Northern Ireland sports minister Caral Ni Chuilin confirmed government funding for the project is under review. Press Association
Press Association The home side went into the game buoyed by a much-improved display against Liverpool, but knowing a 3-1 defeat had done nothing to improve their situation, and they could hardly have got off to a better start. United defenders Phil Jones and Nemanja Vidic contrived between them to allow Craig Gardner to fire his side into a fifth-minute lead, and it was one they managed to protect with some comfort until the break. Indeed, the Black Cats could have gone in with an even bigger advantage had it not been for a superb save from David De Gea to keep out an Emanuele Giaccherini header and a glaring miss from the Italy international. Having turned in a muted display before the break, the visitors returned in determined mood and, as their hosts tired, they assumed control. However, it took 18-year-old winger Adnan Januzaj to get them out of jail with a classy double. He levelled after 55 minutes when, after playing the ball out to Patrice Evra, he made ground to convert the full-back’s cross when it arrived. But his winner was even more noteworthy as he unleashed a picture-book left-foot volley across goalkeeper Keiren Westwood and into the bottom corner. The disappointment in the home dressing room on the final whistle was a measure of the strides Sunderland have taken during a traumatic fortnight, but there is also an acceptance that results need to improve markedly and very quickly if they are to avoid another unseemly scrap for top-flight survival. For his part, Ball hopes to discover over the next couple of days whether he will have a further role to play in that process. Asked about his immediate future, he said: “No idea at the moment. I don’t know whether they are going to give me a ring, speak to me or anything like that. “But I am sure in the next couple of days, they will do something.” Ball said: “What I have said to them in there is that has got to be the minimum in future they do for themselves. Irrespective of who the manager is, that’s the minimum they have got to do. “They have got to keep building on that and building on that and building on that, adding bits of the game that we would like to see them improve on and hopefully results will come then.” Ball was asked to take over the reins temporarily following Paolo Di Canio’s departure a fortnight ago, and a Capital One Cup victory over Peterborough has been followed by creditable performances in defeat against Liverpool and United. However, the statistics make for painful reading and they have now collected just one point from a possible 21 this season and are already six adrift of safety. Owner Ellis Short saw the latest instalment of Ball’s reign in person and whether he has seen enough to consider appointing him – a decision which would go down well in the dressing room – remains to be seen. But what is clear is that the former Black Cats midfielder has received a response from his players. Asked if he had seen enough to convince him that Sunderland can get themselves out of trouble, Ball said: “What I have seen is a lot of players who are fully committed to the cause, and so they should be. “The players should give themselves a lot of credit, but like I keep saying to them – I keep emphasising this – what is important now is they keep doing it, irrespective of what happens, they keep doing it because it’s vitally important to this club.” Kevin Ball has urged Sunderland to build on the foundations they have lain during his spell in charge, irrespective of whether or not he remains at the helm. The 48-year-old hopes to discover this week if he is to stay in interim charge at the Stadium of Light, be handed the job on a permanent basis or return to his role as the club’s senior professional development coach. But whoever sends out the team at Swansea on October 19, he insists they must perform to the standards they set on Saturday as they very nearly pulled off a shock against reigning Barclays Premier League champions Manchester United. 