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BEIJING -- On the showroom floor of a SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile dealership in Chongqing, a salesman enthusiastically recommended the Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV, an electric car that has quickly won over Chinese drivers since its nationwide launch in July. The boxy compact lives up to its name, measuring less than 3-meters long and 1.5-meters wide, yet can still accommodate four people. The price starts at 28,800 yuan ($4,460), though the most popular model, with air conditioning, goes for just over $5,000. "If you make a 13,000 yuan down payment, the rest will be interest-free," the salesman said. Though the Hong...

Jakjai Chamaimas Watermelon Farm in Si Sa Ket’s Muang district held an auction event on Friday to sell its signature heart-shaped watermelons, aiming to raise funds for the Si Sa Ket provinicial hospital. The event was held in cooperation with Tourism Authority of Thailand, Si Sa Ket Tourism Industry Council and Christina Sanitaryware Ltd, owner of the farm which grows heart-shaped organic watermelons in a greenhouse over a 1 rai (0.16 hectare) area. The bidding price for the heart-shaped watermelons started at Bt50,000 each. Si Sa Ket MP Wiwatchai Hotrawaisaya offered the highest price at Bt100,900. “I am giving this...

President Biden is spending his first weekend at Camp David as commander in chief. The historic spread in Western Maryland has been used by White House predecessors since Harry Truman as a retreat from the media and D.C. swamp. “It provides a chance to get a blast of fresh air away from the press and a chance to be with family and friends,” presidential historian Douglas Brinkley told Reuters. In addition to R&R, the location has also been used for high-stakes international politics. It was on the grounds of Camp David that President Carter hammered out the 1978 Camp David...

The head of the Hallmark Channel’s parent company said this week the network remains committed to including LGBT characters in storylines and that fans will see “more of that” in the future. Wonya Lucas, the president and CEO of Crown Media Family Networks, made the comments during the winter Television Critics Association meeting, saying the Hallmark Channel is “proud” of its progress on the issue. This month, the Hallmark Channel debuts Mix Up in the Mediterranean, which was billed at the TCA meeting as the first Hallmark movie with a gay lead. The film follows the story of a single...

Dinner, flowers and chocolates are now old school. Chef Benny Se Teo, known for co-founding the popular Western food chain Eighteen Chefs, is now venturing into a different type of business: 'hiring' services for you to impress your girlfriend this Valentine's Day. In his Facebook post on Wednesday (Feb 10), he uploaded photos of him and a few people, dressed in stereotypical 'gang' attire complete with bloodied 'scars' and gold chains, along with a caption: "Hey guys ... I am available for hire on 14 February. You will be on date with your girlfriend ... suddenly i will come and...

Jeff Bezos has been spotted landing in Cabo San Lucas with girlfriend Lauren Sanchez for a romantic Valentine's getaway following his announcement that he would step down as the CEO of Amazon. Bezos, 57, and Sanchez, 51, arrived at the luxurious Mexican vacation spot in a private jet on Friday, and were quickly whisked away by a waiting limousine to begin their weekend retreat. It was the first time the lovebirds had been spotted together since Bezos announced on February 2 that he would hand over the day-to-day management of Amazon to longtime company executive Andy Jassy by the end...

Places with highest daily reported cases per capita Seven-day average of daily new reported cases per 100,000 residents

Looking for Android cell texting app with no Google involvement or snooping or ability to see what I text. Complete privacy from Google or any big tech or anyone other than who I text with. Same for Android Calendar app. We need to drop Google, Apple, Microsoft every way we can. Help them fail and disappear. I use Brave browser beta version, and duckduckgo search, and Protonmail pro.

Early treatment with a medication commonly used to treat asthma appears to significantly reduce the need for urgent care and hospitalization in people with COVID-19, researchers at the University of Oxford have found. The STOIC study found that inhaled budesonide given to patients with COVID-19 within seven days of the onset of symptoms also reduced recovery time. Budesonide is a corticosteroid used in the long-term management of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Findings from the phase 2 randomized study, which was supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), were published on the medRxiv pre-print server. The...

Claudia Conway, the daughter of Lincoln Project co-founder George Conway and Kellyanne Conway, will appear on ‘American Idol’ this Sunday. From The Daily Mail: [Claudia Conway, 16, told American Idol judges social media has meant her ‘voice is being heard’ after she has been ‘suppressed’ for most of her life. The 16-year-old daughter of former Donald Trump aide Kellyanne Conway and Lincoln Project cofounder George Conway is seen speaking out about her ‘hard’ upbringing during a new clip of her audition on the show. Claudia will appear in the first episode of the series airing on Sunday 14 February on...

Lucknow’s district administration will set up around 40 kiosks across the city to ensure free distribution of Ivermectin tablets among asymptomatic Covid-19 patients. A few of these kiosks will become operational from Monday, officials said. Ivermectin, a deworming drug, can be used as a supporting medicine for Covid-19 patients under home isolation and their contacts, according to doctors. Officials said the kiosks would come up at the airport, city bus stations, railway stations, etc. Additional district magistrate KP Singh said, “The use of the Ivermectin tablet has proved effective for asymptomatic Covid-19 patients. It is also being widely prescribed by...

Christian symbols are linked to the country's former dictatorship A group of Spanish lawyers has launched petitions and lawsuits to prevent the removal of crosses by local officials after claims that Christian symbols are linked to the country's former dictatorship. "Many towns are being pressured to get rid of public crosses, which local people have spent weeks and months defending," said Maria Riesco, spokeswoman for the Association of Christian Lawyers. "We are checking the documentation and investigating each case, as well as maintaining a dialogue with regional governments in hopes of having them restored." Riesco, a Catholic, spoke as the...

'Given that Christians are the main group being targeted here, we need to be aware of what is really going on. We either commit to standing for Christ… or we renounce our faith altogether and admit it was all just a charade. We must choose now.'VICTORIA, Australia, February 12, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) – Christian leaders are poised to resist Victoria’s controversial Change or Suppression (Conversion) Practices Prohibition bill, which threatens parents with up to 10 years in prison if they don’t affirm their kids’ sexual confusion and bans “carrying out a religious practice, including but not limited to, a prayer-based practice,...

A Savanta ComRes poll was published just over a week ago on the political affiliation of Church leaders, and it hasn’t had much coverage. In fact, it doesn’t appear to have any media coverage at all, which is a little odd given the nuggets of insight it offers, not least of which being the fact that ‘Church leaders’ mental health takes a knock during lockdown’. The number of church leaders who said they had poor mental health doubled during 2020, apparently jumped from 7% to 15%. This is very concerning in the Body of Christ: if the mind is sick,...

On Tuesday, February 9, His Eminence Metropolitan Eugene of Ekaterinburg headed the annual meeting of the Ekaterinburg branch of the World Russian People’s Council at the Royal Cultural and Educational Center, which discussed the issue of street names bearing the names of Bolsheviks. The Council resolved to continue its informational and educational activities for the renaming of the region and the revival of historical names of streets that today bear the names of terrorists, including those involved in the murder of the Royal Family, reports the Ekaterinburg Diocese. Public activists have raised the possibility of a system of street signs...

An animated and furious Nancy Pelosi crashed House impeachment managers' post-trial press conference in a rage She lashed out at Mitch McConnell and called Republicans 'cowardly' for voting to stop Donald Trump from being convicted for 'incitement of insurrection' 'It had not been my intention to come to this press availability,' Pelosi said 'But what we saw today was a cowardly group of Republicans who apparently have no options because they were afraid to... respect [Congress]' McConnell argued in floor remarks after voting to acquit Trump Saturday, that Congress didn't have the jurisdiction to go after a former president Nancy...

Dr. Peter Navarro joined Steve Bannon and The War Room on Saturday morning. During their discussion on voter fraud, Navarro brought up the actions of Mike Pence. Navarro, along with millions of Trump voters, believe what Mike Pence did will go down in history as one of the greatest betrayals of a president and the country. Mike Pence did not have the courage to confront the obvious election fraud. He sided with the enemies of America. Dr. Peter Navarro: Look, what Mike Pence did to Donald J. Trump I think will go down in history as one of the biggest...

Watching the first weeks of Joe Biden’s presidency unfold on TV from her Bronx apartment, Natalia Imperatori-Lee saw a bit of herself in America’s new leader.Like her, a mom of two Catholic school kids, Biden was a regular at Sunday Mass. In clips of him in the Oval Office, she glimpsed the rosary peeking out from his sleeve — reminding her of the prayer beads in the Cuban American home where she grew up. Reading reports of the president’s push to offer legal residency to millions of immigrants, she sensed the church’s teaching to “welcome the stranger among us.”“I’m just...

Pray For the Peace of JerusalemLambs, Sheep, and Shepherds.Genesis 21The Treaty at Beersheba 22 At that time Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do. 23 Now swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants. Show to me and the country where you now reside as a foreigner the same kindness I have shown to you.” 24 Abraham said, “I swear it.” 25 Then Abraham complained to Abimelek about a well of water that Abimelek’s servants had...

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who allegedly used the threat of a Senate conviction to blackmail President Donald Trump during his final days in office, seemed to call for a criminal trial against the former President only moments after voting to acquit him.“January 6th was a disgrace. American citizens attacked their own government,” said McConnell, before claiming that President Trump inspired his supporters to use “terrorism” “to try to stop a specific piece of domestic business they did not like.”They built a gallows and chanted about murdering the vice president,” said McConnell, without providing evidence. “They did this because they...