Pet dog quarantined in Hong Kong with low levels of coronavirus

HONG KONG, China — A pet dog was quarantined at an animal center in Hong Kong after it tested positive to low levels of the new coronavirus, officials said Friday, in the first such case in the city.

The canine, which belongs to a 60-year-old woman infected with the virus, has no "relevant symptoms," the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said.

But "nasal and oral cavity samples were tested weak positive to COVID-19 virus," a spokesman said, without explaining why they tested the animal in the first place.

The dog was collected from the owner's home on Wednesday, after the woman was diagnosed with the contagion and placed in a hospital isolation ward.

It would be closely monitored and undergo further tests to confirm if it really has the virus or if "this is a result of environmental contamination of the dog's mouth and nose," the department said.


The canine would be held until it returned a negative result.

While there is no evidence domestic animals such as dogs and cats can catch the virus or transmit it to humans, the department said pets of infected people should be quarantined for 14 days.

The financial hub has confirmed 93 cases of the new coronavirus, with two deaths earlier this month.

The epidemic, which emerged in central China in December, has infected more than 83,000 people globally.

Agence France-Presse

Filipina model, accusers hail Weinstein convictions

MANILA, Philippines — Harvey Weinstein was convicted in New York on Monday of sexual assault and rape, more than two years after allegations of the disgraced movie mogul's sexual misconduct sparked the global #MeToo movement.

The 67-year-old was acquitted of the most serious charge of predatory sexual assault but faces a lengthy jail term.

The guilty verdicts were hailed as a landmark moment for the #MeToo movement, with accusers, activists and attorneys lining up to congratulate prosecutors.

Here is the best of the reactions:

'Jumping for joy'

Ambra Battilana Gutierrez, a Filipina-Italian model who reported Harvey Weinstein to the New York Police Department in 2015 for allegedly groping her during a meeting at his Tribeca office, reacts outside of court to the news that Weinstein was found guilty of a criminal sexual act and third degree rape on February 24.

In an interview with Court TV, Gutierrez said that she feels "happiness, pure happiness" for the verdict.

"Just jumping for joy! This was the verdict that I was really wishing for not just for myself but for a positive outcome and experience to everything, so we can move forward the conversation, so that things like this should not get to this point," she said in the video interview posted on her Twitter page.

Ambra was a Miss Italy finalist. She also competed at the Century Tuna Superbods competition in Manila in 2016 and won as a runner-up.

'Collective healing' 

Actress Ashley Judd, one of the first Weinstein accusers to go public with her allegations, thanked the six women who told the high-profile trial that the ex-Hollywood titan had sexually assaulted them.

"For the women who testified in this case, and walked through traumatic hell, you did a public service to girls and women everywhere, thank you. #ConvictWeinstein #Guilty," she wrote on Twitter.

Actress Ellen Barkin simply named them.

"Right now Harvey Weinstein is on his way to prison. These are the women who put him away... Mimi Haleyi, Jessica Mann, Annabella Sciorra, Dawn Dunning, Lauren Young, Tarale Wulff," she tweeted.

High-profile accuser Rose McGowan tweeted: "Today is a powerful day & a huge step forward in our collective healing."

Italian actress and director Asia Argento, who told the New Yorker magazine that Weinstein raped her in 1997, posted a photo of herself and another woman on Instagram.

"Harvey Weinstein is now a convicted rapist. Two survivors cry and celebrate. Thank you God," she wrote alongside it.

Actress Rosanna Arquette paid tribute on Twitter to "the brave women who've testified and to the jury for seeing through the dirty tactics of the defense."

Tarana Burke, founder of the #MeToo movement, said in a statement: "The implications reverberate far beyond Hollywood and into the daily lives of all of us in the rest of the world."

Sciorra lament 

Gloria Allred, attorney for Sciorra and Haleyi, told reporters outside court that, "It's no longer business as usual in the United States."

"This is the age of empowerment of women, and you cannot intimidate them anymore, because women will not be silenced," she said.

"They will speak up, they will have their voice, they will stand up and be subjected to your small army of defense attorneys cross-examining them, attempting to discredit them," Allred added.

Some took to social media to express regret that the jury failed to convict Weinstein of predatory sexual assault based on the testimony of "The Sopranos" actress Annabella Sciorra.

She testified that Weinstein raped her almost 30 years ago as the prosecution sought to portray him as a career sexual predator.

"HARVEY WEINSTEIN HAS BEEN HANDCUFFED & TAKEN TO JAIL!" tweeted actress Rosie Perez, who testified on Sciorra's behalf during the trial.

"GUTTED FOR MY DEAR FRIEND #ANNABELLASCIORRA WHO TOLD THE TRUTH! YET I CONGRATULATE HER & ALL WHO CAME FORWARD FOR THEIR BRAVERY. THIS IS NOT ENOUGH BUT SURVIVORS TAKE COURAGE! THIS IS STILL A GREAT WIN!" she wrote.

"#IBelieveAnnabellaSciorra," actress Alyssa Milano wrote on Twitter.

Journalist and former Miss America Gretchen Carlson simply tweeted: "I hope the handcuffs are tight..." — With AFP in New York

philstar.com

Kuwait, Bahrain announce first coronavirus cases

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Kuwait and Bahrain confirmed on Monday their first novel coronavirus cases, health ministries in the two Gulf states announced, adding all had come from Iran.

Kuwait reported three infections and Bahrain one.

"Tests conducted on those coming from the Iranian holy city of Mashhad showed there were three confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19)," the Kuwaiti health ministry said in a statement posted on Twitter.

It said the cases were of a 53-year-old Kuwaiti man, a 61-year-old Saudi citizen and a 21-year-old stateless Arab.

"All three cases are under constant observation by the health authority," the ministry added.


Bahrain's health ministry also reported the country's first COVID-19 case on Monday after a "citizen arriving from Iran was suspected of having contracted the virus based on emerging symptoms."

The patient was transferred to a medical center for "immediate testing," which proved positive for the infection, the ministry added.

Iran's confirmed death toll rose to 12 on Monday, with the outbreak prompting travel bans from nearby countries.

Last week, Kuwait banned entry of all ships from the Islamic republic and suspended flights to and from the country.

Kuwait had also banned non-citizens coming from Iran from entering the Gulf state and operated chartered flights to bring back hundreds of Kuwaiti Shiite pilgrims from the Islamic republic.

Around a third of Kuwait's 1.4 million citizens are Shiite Muslims, who travel regularly to Iran to visit religious shrines. Kuwait also hosts roughly 50,000 Iranian workers.

Over half of Bahrain's population of under one million are Shiites, who also travel frequently to Iran.

Iraq said it closed the only border crossing with Kuwait at Safwan, south of Basra, late Sunday.

Neighboring United Arab Emirates has already announced 13 cases of the novel coronavirus, all of them foreigners. The latest were a 70-year-old Iranian man, whose condition is unstable, and his 64-year-old wife.

Three Chinese nationals were treated for COVID-19 and have been discharged from UAE hospitals.

UAE airlines have suspended most flights to China—where the virus first emerged in December—except to the capital Beijing, but have not yet taken any measures to restrict travel to and from Iran. Around half a million Iranians live and work in the UAE.

Three Gulf states—Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar—remain free of the virus, but all have suspended flights to China.

Qatar Airways said on Monday it will quarantine people arriving from Iran and South Korea, the biggest hotspot outside of China, for 14 days.

China's death toll from COVID-19 rose to nearly 2,600 on Monday. The virus has spread to more than 25 countries and is causing mounting alarm due to new outbreaks in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Agence France-Presse

Fewer virus cases in China, but deaths abroad increase

BEIJING, China — China on Thursday touted a big drop in new virus infections as proof its epidemic control efforts are working, but the toll grew abroad with deaths in Japan and South Korea.

Fatalities in China hit 2,118 as 114 more people died, but health officials reported the lowest number of new cases in nearly a month, including in hardest-hit Hubei province.

More than 74,000 people have been infected by the new coronavirus in China, and hundreds more in over 25 countries.

The number of deaths outside mainland China climbed to 11.

Japan's toll rose to three as a man and a woman in their 80s who had been aboard a quarantined cruise ship died, while fears there mounted over other passengers who disembarked the Diamond Princess after testing negative.

South Korea reported its first death, and the number of infections in the country nearly doubled Thursday to 104.

Iran reported two deaths on Wednesday and three new cases Thursday. Deaths have previously been confirmed in France, the Philippines, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Chinese officials say their drastic containment efforts, including quarantining tens of millions of people in Hubei and restricting movements in cities nationwide, have started to pay off.

Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke by phone about the virus with leaders in South Korea and Pakistan, state news agency Xinhua said.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in "chose to call to express sympathies and support" regarding the outbreak, Xinhua said. Xi told him the epidemic's impact on bilateral ties will only be temporary.

Xi told Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan that their two countries "are true friends and good brothers," and that combating the virus is his government's top priority.

At a special meeting on the virus with Southeast Asian countries in Laos, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said results "show that our control efforts are working."

Although more than 600 new infections were reported Thursday in Hubei's capital Wuhan, it was the lowest daily tally since late January and well down from the 1,749 new cases the day before.

The national figure has  fallen for three straight days.

Chinese authorities placed the city of 11 million under quarantine on January 23 and quickly locked down the rest of the province in the days that followed.

Wuhan authorities this week carried out  door-to-door checks on residents, with the local Communist Party chief warning that officials would be "held accountable" if any infections were missed.

Cities far from the epicentre have limited the number of people who can leave their homes for groceries, while rural villages have sealed off access to outsiders.

'Chaotic' cruise quarantine

In Japan, critics slammed the government's quarantine measures imposed on the Diamond Princess.

The huge vessel moored in Yokohama is the biggest coronavirus cluster outside the Chinese epicentre, with 634 cases confirmed among passengers and crew.

Another 13 people on board the ship were diagnosed with the virus Thursday, Japan's health ministry said.

Still, passengers were disembarking after negative tests and having completed a 14-day quarantine period -- packing into yellow buses and leaving for stations and airports.

An infectious diseases specialist at Kobe University slammed the quarantine procedures on board as "completely chaotic" in rare criticism from a Japanese academic.

"The cruise ship was completely inadequate in terms of infection control," said Kentaro Iwata in videos he has since deleted.

South Korea, meanwhile, announced 51 new cases, with more than 40 in a cluster centred on the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, an entity often seen as a cult.

The infections apparently came from a 61-year-old woman who first developed a fever on February 10 and attended at least four services before being diagnosed.

Authorities were investigating whether she visited a hospital where a long-term patient contracted the virus and later died.

Growing concern abroad

Beyond Asia, citizen backlash was growing over fears of contagion.

Iraq on Thursday clamped down on travel to and from neighboring Iran, with Iraq's health ministry announcing people in Iran were barred from entering the country "until further notice."

The move came after Iran confirmed three new coronavirus cases following the deaths of two elderly men.

And in Ukraine, a crowd clashed with police outside a hospital over government plans to quarantine evacuees from coronavirus-hit China at the site.

Six buses with the evacuees arrived at the medical center in Novi Sanzhary, in the central Poltava region, escorted by police.

Angry  demonstrators lit fires and pelted the buses with rocks, breaking at least three windows.

Because of the virus outbreak, airlines operating in the Asia-Pacific region stand to lose a combined $27.8 billion of revenue, the International Air Transport Association said.

This is the first time since 2003 that demand for air travel has declined, IATA CEO Alexandre de Juniac said. — with Miwa Suzuki in Tokyo

Agence France-Presse

China sees drop in new virus cases, two Japan cruise passengers die

BEIJING, China — China reported a big drop in new coronavirus cases on Thursday, fuelling hopes the epidemic is nearing its peak, but Japan faced a growing crisis as two passengers from a quarantined cruise ship died.

The death toll rose in China hit 2,118 as 114 more people died, but health officials reported the lowest number of new cases there in nearly a month, including in the hardest-hit province, Hubei.

More than 74,000 people have been infected in China and hundreds more in some 25 countries, with Iran reporting two deaths, the first fatalities in the Middle East.

In Japan, a man and a woman in their 80s who had been aboard the Diamond Princess have died, local media reported, citing a government source.

A World Health Organization official noted the progress in China but warned it had not reached a turning point just yet.

Chinese officials said this week that their drastic containment efforts, including quarantining tens of millions of people in Hubei and restricting movements in other cities nationwide, have started to pay off.

"After arduous efforts, the situation is changing for the better," Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a meeting with Southeast Asian counterparts in Laos late Wednesday, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

Hubei and its capital Wuhan -- where the virus is believed to have emerged in December -- are still "severely affected" by the epidemic, Wang said.

"But the situation is under effective control, while other regions are embracing comforting news," he said.

'Not turning point'

More than 600 new infections were reported in Wuhan -- the lowest daily tally since late January, and well down from the 1,749 new cases the day before.

The national figure has now fallen for three days in a row.

Chinese authorities placed Wuhan, a city of 11 million people, under quarantine on January 23 and quickly locked down the rest of Hubei in the days that followed.

Cities far from the epicentre have limited the number of people who can leave their houses for groceries, while villages have sealed themselves off from outsiders.

Richard Brennan, regional emergency director at the World Health Organization, said China was making "tremendous progress in a short period of time" but cautioned that it was not over just yet.

"Trends are very encouraging but we are not at a turning point yet," Brennan told a press conference in Cairo.

'Chaotic' cruise quarantine

While China touts progress in its fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, Japan's government faces criticism over quarantine measures on the Diamond Prince cruise ship.

The huge vessel moored in Yokohama is easily the biggest coronavirus cluster outside the Chinese epicentre, with 621 positive cases confirmed among the passengers and crew -- one sixth of the total.

On Wednesday, 443 passengers disembarked from the ship after testing negative for the COVID-19 virus and not showing symptoms during a 14-day quarantine period. The complete removal of the passengers was expected to last at least three days.

More passengers left the ship on Thursday, packing into yellow buses and leaving for stations and airports.

But questions are increasingly being asked as to the wisdom of allowing former Diamond Princess passengers to roam freely around Japan's crowded cities, even if they have tested negative.

The death of the two elderly passengers is likely to add to the criticism.

A specialist in infectious diseases at Kobe University slammed "completely chaotic" quarantine procedures onboard, in rare criticism from a Japanese official.

"The cruise ship was completely inadequate in terms of infection control," said Kentaro Iwata in videos he has since deleted.

Japan's health ministry insisted it had conducted "consultations on appropriate infection control in the ship" with experts and taken a range of measures.

Agence France-Presse

'United by Emotion': Tokyo 2020 unveils Olympics motto

TOKYO – Tokyo 2020 organizers on Monday rolled out the motto for this year's Olympics, "United by Emotion", which they said reflected the "universal values" and "unifying power of sport".

"Crowds of spectators who do not know each other prior to the Games will come together and learn that there is more that unites them than divides them," Tokyo 2020 said as it unveiled the motto.

The official Olympic motto is "Citius, Altius, Fortius" or "Faster, Higher, Stronger", but each host city chooses its own motto to accompany that edition of the Games.


London's motto in 2012 was "Inspire a Generation", whereas Athens in 2004 went for "Welcome Home" — a nod to the birthplace of the Games in Olympia.

Less well-received was Sochi, which plumped for "Hot. Cool. Yours", sparking derision in some quarters.

Tokyo said the motto would be beamed onto the Skytree tower in the Japanese capital to raise awareness as it will be seen for miles around.

The opening ceremony will be on July 24 and organizers have stressed there is no discussion about changing this date despite the coronavirus crisis hitting global transport.

Tokyo 2020 roll-outs have not always been smooth. In September 2015, the Games logo was ditched after accusations of plagiarism.

Designer Olivier Debie said the design was stolen from his logo for a Belgian theatre and threatened court action before officials withdrew the emblem, saying it "no longer has public support".

Agence France-Presse

US increasing tariffs on Airbus planes to 15 percent from 10 percent

The United States is increasing tariffs on Airbus planes imported from Europe to 15 percent beginning March 18, authorities announced Friday.

The duties have been at 10 percent since October, when Washington hit $7.5 billion in European products with tariffs.

The announcement from the office of the United States Trade Representative came just days after President Donald Trump said it was time to talk "very seriously" about a trade deal with the European Union.

Washington imposed punitive taxes on the $7.5 billion in European products after the World Trade Organization (WTO) gave the United States a green light to take retaliatory trade measures against the EU over its subsidies to European aerospace giant Airbus.

Other products -- including wine, cheese, coffee and olives -- have been taxed at 25 percent since October.

Industry executives in Europe and the United States are on tenterhooks awaiting each new announcement from trade authorities.

"It has become abundantly clear that tariffs on distilled spirits products are causing rough seas on both sides of the Atlantic," the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States said in a statement Friday.

The council called on authorities to withdraw 25 percent taxes on American whiskeys in the EU, and 25 percent taxes on liquors imported from five European countries, pointing to fears of a negative impact on the US economy and jobs.

But Trump, a real estate developer turned politician, sees tariffs as a negotiating tool.

After a trade war with China that lasted nearly two years and featured punishing reciprocal tariffs, Trump declared at the signing of a "phase one" trade deal with Beijing in January that it was a "momentous step ... righting the wrongs of the past."

He has now turned his sights to Europe though relations remain tense as Washington brandishes the threat of taxing European auto imports, a move targeting Germany, Europe's biggest auto exporter.

Trump wants EU member states to further open their markets to American products, particularly agricultural goods.

He has also threatened to hike tariffs on French wine -- currently taxed at 25 percent -- even further unless there is a deal on a digital tax which European nations want to impose on American giants such as Amazon and Facebook.

Agence France-Presse

The Top Questions to Ask Your Lender Before a Refinance

You waited long enough – interest rates are right where you want them so you are ready to refinance. Before you jump in head first, you should ask your lender the following important questions.







What is the APR?

Don’t let yourself get so focused on the interest rate that you forget about the APR. The APR is the total cost of the loan, including the closing costs in percentage format. It gives you a better idea of what the loan actually costs you.

Sometimes loans with low-interest rates actually have high APRs because of the excessive fees charged. The APR can help to keep you in line and avoid you from refinancing when it’s really not worth it. It’s so easy to get caught up in the low-interest rate that you completely overlook what the loan will cost in the end.

Is There an Origination Fee?

If you are using a lender other than your current lender, you may pay an origination fee. Even if you use your current lender, don’t just assume they won’t charge it – ask them. Lenders charge an origination fee when they think an applicant has a risk of default. Unless you have exceptional credit and a super low debt ratio, you have some level of risk of default; it’s only natural.

Not all lenders charge the origination fee, but if they do, it can really make your closing costs get expensive. One point in an origination fee equals 1% of your loan amount. If you have a $200,000 loan, that’s $2,000 on top of all of the other closing costs.

Can You Pay a Discount Fee?

The discount fee is an optional fee. If you want to buy your interest rate down, you’ll pay the discount fee. Lenders usually discount the rate 0.25% for every point that you pay. Each lender has their own pricing structure, though.

Make sure you look at the big picture before you decide to pay the discount fee. First, will you stay in the home long enough to realize the savings? Remember, you have to pay off the closing costs before you truly start putting the savings in your pocket. Also, is the savings enough to make it worth it? If you’ll only save $25 a month, do you really want to pay thousands of dollars? It will take many years for it to make it worth it.

When Can You Lock the Rate?

Just like when you bought your home, you need to lock the interest rate. You’ll have a certain amount of time to close the loan before the rate lock expires too. Luckily, you can usually take a smaller lock period with a refinance because you don’t have to do any of the legal work that was necessary when selling the home.


Make sure you know the cost to lock the rate (if any) and the consequences of an expired lock. You don’t want to find out the hard way that you’ll have to pay to re-lock your interest rate because you locked it too early.

What’s the Turnaround Time?

If you are in a hurry, such as is the case with some cash-out refinance loans, you’ll need to know how long it will take the lender to process your loan. don’t be afraid to ask what the turnaround time is and what you should expect as far as a closing date.

If you are getting cash out of your home’s equity, you’ll want to know when you’ll receive it. Plus you need to schedule your life around the closing. For example, your closing date will affect when you have to make your first payment. If you have a month off, you can use that extra money that you’ll save to cover your closing costs. If you close at the beginning of the month, though, you won’t have that month off; your first payment will be due the next month.

Who Will Service Your Loan?

Finally, you should know who will service your loan before you close on it. If the lender doesn’t do their own servicing or they know they will sell your loan, you’ll need the details of where your loan will land. Just because you like the lender you are using now doesn’t mean that you’ll like the company that services your loan.

The loan servicer is actually the company that you’ll have the most communication with so you want to make sure that it’s a company that you like. If your lender can’t tell you exactly who will service your loan, they can at least tell you the possibilities of who will so that you can do your research and decide if it’s the right loan for you.

Take your time to ask your lender these important questions before you refinance. They will give the answers that you need to make the best decision about your refinance. Since you already own the home, you aren’t under any pressure to refinance like you were when you bought the home and needed financing. This time around, you’ll have more time and be able to make clear choices.

source: blownmortgage.com

Families claim their dead as Thais mourn 29 killed in mass shooting

NAKHON RATCHASIMA, Thailand — Grieving relatives of 29 people murdered by a rogue soldier in Thailand held Buddhist prayer ceremonies Monday (Feb 10), as questions multiply over how and why the unprecedented shooting spree happened.

Holding portraits of their relatives and dabbing away tears, families of the victims arrived at a city morgue in Nakhon Ratchasima, better known as Korat, to carry home coffins bearing their dead.



The killer started his rampage on Saturday afternoon with weapons stolen from a barracks' arsenal, where he gunned down Mehta Lertsiri, 22, who was guarding the depot.

"I don't know what to do next," Mehta's grief-stricken grandfather, Udom Prapotsang, said outside of the morgue waiting to claim his body.

"His four-year-old son keeps asking why he can't call his dad. I will remember to tell him fond stories about his dad."

Flowers and messages of condolences mounted outside the bullet-riddled mall where a terrifying siege unfolded Saturday night.

The killer, armed with automatic weapons, held out for 17 hours as hundreds of shoppers cowered in toilets, storerooms and under tables.

"RIP Korat, we will not forget," said one of the condolence messages left in a growing tribute outside the Terminal 21 mall in the northeastern city.

The gunman - Sergeant-Major Jakrapanth Thomma - was shot dead by a commando unit Sunday morning, ending a rampage that left 29 dead and scores more wounded.

A Buddhist monk in orange robes led a prayer ceremony on a grass verge outside the mall for Peeraphat Palasan, who was shot dead as the gunman sprayed bullets into traffic, killing the 25-year-old engineer and causing his car to crash.

His father, Witoon, was among a dozen mourners crying, kneeling, hands clasped - some holding incense sticks - in prayer.

"My son had just finished work and came here to go shopping," Witoon said. "I never thought I would lose him so soon."

Lucky survivors have recounted hiding across the mall, keeping up to speed with the gunman's movements through friends on the outside and snippets of CCTV footage shared over messaging groups.

As Korat - and the country - mourned, there were growing questions about why the gunman went on a killing spree over an apparent private debt to a senior officer and how he was able to steal weapons, including an M60 machine gun, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

Divisive Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha was hammered on social media for a tone-deaf response to the crisis during a visit to the city on Sunday where he posed for selfies, high-fived a crowd and smiled before shutting down questions from the media at a press conference.

"There should be no smiles, joking around and touching hands like people are your fan club," popular blogger Sorakon Adulyanon, aka Noom Muang Chan, said on Facebook.

Others drew unfavourable comparisons with the dignified response of New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to the Christchurch mass shooting last year.

As criticism snowballed, the gruff former army chief Prayut was prodded into a rare act of contrition late Sunday.

"We are all saddened by what happened," he said on his official Facebook page.

"I intended to offer my moral support ... my expression may have been misunderstood or made many people uncomfortable."

Agence France-Presse

LeBron James is wealthiest athlete on Instagram

MANILA, Philippines — Lebron James has been identified as the highest earning NBA player through Instagram, a recent report said.

With his 54.7 million followers, the Los Angeles Lakers forward, now on his 16th year in the league, reportedly earns $300,850 per sponsored post, a study by Online Gambling Canada revealed.

Following him for the second spot is Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry, who has some 28.2 million followers and earns $155,100 with each post.

The two are trailed in the rankings by Dwyane Wade, Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving, who rake in $83,000, $79,750 and $74,800 per post, respectively.

"Whether it’s shooting hoops or enjoying their multi-million dollar homes, it’s safe to say the players know how to entertain their audiences, on and off the court. However, the entertaining doesn’t come at a cheap price," Online Gambling said.

Of the study's methodology, the website said, "Using Instagram we were able to compile a list of the highest followed NBA players, sports athletes & celebrities.  We used the Hopper HQ Instagram Rich List combined with Later to establish how much all of individuals earned per sponsored Insta post."

"From this we were able to compare earnings across the different verticals, which allowed our client to form their piece," they added.

Despite the eye-popping numbers, the NBA superstars' Instagram earnings are still no match for their celebrity counterparts.

For instance, Kylie Jenner tops the list of celebrity Instagram earnings with a whopping $1,266,000 earned with every Instagram post.

Professional footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, too, rakes in $975,000 every time he posts on the social media platform.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil —  A tourist who was robbed while vacationing in Rio de Janeiro posted a disgusted message online... only to have Brazil's national tourism board post it to its official Instagram account by mistake.

"Rio is such a beautiful city," begins the message posted by Instagram user @withlai -- and that is perhaps as far as the Brazilian Tourist Board's social media department read before clicking "share."

But the message continues: "Beautiful is not enough."

During a three-day stay in Rio, @withlai wrote, "my family and I were robbed and my nine-year-old sister witnessed a violent robbery. I can't recommend a visit to a city where I felt afraid of even leaving the apartment."

Embratur, as the tourism board is known, shared the message on its own Instagram account Tuesday evening, leaving it up long enough for the gaffe to go viral before deleting the post.

"This message was shared by mistake," Embratur said in a red-faced statement, adding that it was in fact working to "publicize the drop in violent crime (in Brazil) in 2019."

Rio, the port of entry for many of the millions of tourists who visit Brazil each year, is known for the breathtaking beauty of its sun-soaked beaches and emerald mountains, but also its violent crime.

Rio de Janeiro state, of which the city is the capital, registered nearly 4,000 murders and 120,500 muggings last year -- though that was a drop of 19 percent and eight percent, respectively.

Agence France-Presse

Unity in shreds as triumphant Trump makes case for re-election

WASHINGTON, United States — President Donald Trump's State of the Union address became a shocking display of US divisions Tuesday with Democrats protesting the Republican's boasts before their leader, Nancy Pelosi, ripped up her copy of the speech on live television.

The House speaker's gesture at the very end encapsulated the seething atmosphere in the Capitol as Trump made a one hour and 18 minutes pitch for a second term in office.

Instead of what traditionally has been an annual moment for political truce, this State of the Union mirrored the political war raging through the country ahead of November elections.

Trump was still on the podium, having just completed the soaring finale to his speech when Pelosi, standing just behind him, raised the papers and demonstratively tore them to pieces.

"It was the courteous thing to do, considering the alternatives," she told a reporter afterwards.


The speech began with as much rancor as it ended, when Trump ignored past custom and declined to shake hands with Pelosi, who as speaker of the House of Representatives had overseen the push to impeach Trump for abuse of office.

She put out a hand and Trump turned away, leaving her arm in thin air.

Democrats responded to Trump's speech, where he proclaimed a "great American comeback" and touted his achievements, by refusing to follow Republicans in repeated standing ovations. There was booing and several Democrats walked out.

"The president has no class," House Democrat Jim McGovern told reporters afterwards. "I mean, he should have, out of respect, taken the speaker's hand."

"But after delivering what essentially was a campaign rally speech that was terribly dark and divisive, I think the speaker did the right thing ripping it up."

Underlying all the tension was the fact that after months of impeachment investigations in the Democratic-led House, the Republican majority Senate is now almost certain to acquit Trump on Wednesday.

But Trump's speech did not once mention the word "impeachment."

Right-wing hero 

Much of the address was taken up with proclaiming his successful economic policies and the "America first" outlook.

"We have shattered the mentality of American decline and we have rejected the downsizing of America's destiny," he said.

The Republican said his policies of deregulation and tax cuts—criticized by opponents as damaging the environment and favoring the wealthy over the poor—were responsible for "unparalleled" economic success.

He listed the North American USMCA trade pact, a trade deal with China, massive military spending, "unprecedented" measures to stop illegal immigration, and his bid to "end America's wars in the Middle East" as examples of fulfilling his commitments to voters.

He threw his conservative base strings of red meat—tough talk on abortion, prayer in schools and the right to bear arms.

But flourishes that could have come right out of Trump's days as a reality TV show entertainer grabbed the real attention.

At one moment he paused his speech to praise Rush Limbaugh, one of the fathers of America's hugely influential conservative radio landscape, who disclosed this week that he has advanced lung cancer.

To the surprise of the packed audience, Trump announced that his wife Melania, who was alongside Limbaugh, was going to present the ideological star with the coveted Medal of Freedom—the highest possible civilian award.

Later, Trump outdid even this stroke of theatrics by singling out a woman in the audience whose army husband had been away for months on foreign deployments, then telling her he had "a very special surprise."

It was her husband, in full uniform, coming down the stairs for a tearful, surprise reunion—in front of a primetime national television audience.

No impeachment mention 

This could have been the darkest week of Trump's administration, with only the third presidential impeachment trial in US history poised to culminate Wednesday in the Senate.

But since being reassured that his party will come through with full acquittal, Trump has shown growing signs of confidence that he can march forward with a bid for re-election.

A combative Trump had already spent the earlier part of Tuesday mocking the Democrats' shambolic kick-off to their primary season, saying that delays in the vote count in Iowa proved their incompetence.

Trump got yet more good news on Tuesday with a Gallup poll showing his approval rating at its highest ever: 49%.

At the State of the Union, his guests reflected the political themes he hopes will maintain his ferociously loyal base, including a senior border patrol officer, a woman whose brother was murdered by an illegal immigrant in 2018.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, recognized as the country's interim president by the United States, was also a guest in a public show of support for his efforts to dislodge President Nicolas Maduro.

Australia virus evacuees head for island quarantine

SYDNEY, Australia —  A flight carrying evacuees from the epicenter of the deadly China virus outbreak landed in Australia late Monday ahead of a 14-day quarantine at a notorious offshore immigration detention center.

The Qantas charter flight carrying 243 passengers—including 89 children—touched down at an Air Force base near the remote Western Australian town of Exmouth.

The Australian citizens and permanent residents on board were due to be flown in smaller planes to Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne said the flight was late leaving Wuhan due to a "very intensive process to manage the immigration and boarding arrangements" that also included medical checks.

Passengers will be quarantined for at least 14 days in an immigration detention center which gained notoriety as the venue where asylum seekers who attempted to reach Australia by boat were detained.

Officials say the evacuees will be held separately from a Sri Lankan family of four fighting their deportation—the only other residents of the facility.

"The plan is to cohort people in small family groups so that there won't be a full mingling, so that the whole group doesn't have to stay if someone does get unwell," chief medical officer Brendan Murphy said.

Australia is just the latest country to evacuate its citizens from Wuhan. Japan, the United States and France are among those that have already sent extraction flights.

Payne said the government was considering sending a second plane to Wuhan to evacuate more than around 300 other Australians.

Australia is also in talks with Pacific nations to help evacuate their citizens, but Payne said any foreign nationals that traveled on an Australian charter flight would also need to be quarantined on Christmas Island.

The virus has infected more than 14,000 people in China and killed more than 360. It has spread to more than 24 countries including Australia, where health officials have so far confirmed 12 cases.

Australia on Saturday barred non-citizens travelling from mainland China from entering the country for at least two weeks, while Qantas said it would suspend flights to Shanghai and Beijing starting February 9.

philstar.com

HOW TO SET FINANCIAL GOALS FOR 2020

We are almost through the first month of 2020, and I’m betting you’ve put your money aside while you recovered from the holidays and settled into the new year. But it’s time to start thinking money, so let’s talk about how to set financial goals for 2020.

SETTING FINANCIAL GOALS

Setting financial goals is incredibly important.

Without financial goals, you don’t really know where you’re going, how much money you’ll need and where that money is coming from. You’re essentially driving into the future with no money roadmap.

So, let’s make that roadmap. Let’s set some great financial goals so that you can:

Achieve your goals
Reduce your debt
Up your savings game
And, most importantly, work towards financial freedom.

HOW TO SET FINANCIAL GOALS FOR 2020

FIGURE OUT WHAT’S BEHIND YOUR FINANCIAL DECISIONS

If you read anything by Simon Sinek, you know that knowing your “why” is imperative to success in life and business. And money is no exception.

You can have all the grand financial plans you want to, but if they have no substance behind them—if there’s no “why” then you’ll be unlike to achieve them.

PLAN FOR YOUR FUTURE

When you set financial goals for 2020, you need to think about your future. Not your right now but what happens down the line. For those goals to meet your needs you need to figure out where you’re going and how much money you’ll need.

So, where do you see yourself in one year? How about 2? 5? 10? There’s no wrong answer, but you do need to know what it’s going to be.


SET SOME GOALS

If you know where you’re headed and how much you’re going to cost, you need to set some goals that are related to how you’re going to make your future happen.

Make sure that your goals are meaningful to you, the need to be related to your “why.”  They also need to be goals that you can actually achieve (aim high but not too high) and you need to be able to measure them to know if they’re working or not.

FACE YOUR DEBT

Debt reduction should be one of your top goals, mostly because when it comes down to achieving financial goals your debit is one of the biggest things that stands in your way. You need to aim to reduce debt so that you can pursue other goals.

GET TO KNOW YOUR CREDIT

Your credit score matters, and you don’t have to be afraid of it. If you want to set financial goals for 2020 and be successful, one of those should be getting in touch with your credit and working to improve it.

CREATE A BUDGET

Finally, when it comes time to set financial goals for 2020, you want to put it all together in a fancy little budget. Budgets don’t have to be complex and you don’t need them to be robust enough to pass a board inspection. Go for simple, achievable and do what works for you!

everybodylovesyourmoney.com