World’s deadliest strand of gonorrhoea caught by British man

After a sexual encounter with a south-east Asian woman, a British man has tested positive for a new strand of gonorrhoea that is currently untreatable.

The strand, currently resistant to most of the treatments that have been prescribed, has been described as the world’s deadliest strand of the sexually transmitted infection.

The British man learned of his unfortunate condition four weeks after the return from his holiday after a check-up at the clinic.

Public Health England, a British health executive agency of Department of Health and Social Care in the United Kingdom, cited the man as the first person to suffer from this particular strand.

Upon learning of his condition, doctors prescribed antibiotics that are usually effective in treating the infection, ceftriaxone and azithromycin.

Unfortunately, these treatments were not successful in curing the bug.

Head of the sexually transmitted infection section of the Public Health England Dr Gwenda Hughes expressed that it was highly unusual that a strain would resist so heavily to these antibiotics and that this was a never-seen-before case.

Gonorrhoea is a sexually transmitted infection, and is an infection from the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Gonorrhoea, or ‘gono’ for short, is transmitted through vaginal, oral or anal sex.

The symptoms vary, but for males gonorrhoea affects the inside of the penis and is characterized by a burning sensation during urination, white or yellow discharge from the urethra, and testicular pain.

In the case of anal or oral gonorrhoea, there may be no signs or symptoms at all, minus a sore throat.

Left untreated, the pain caused from gonorrhoea may worsen, and in the case for females it may lead to pelvic inflammatory disease. This may further lead to infertility.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that close to 80 million people are affected by gonorrhoea annually, world-wide.

In Australia there has been an unprecedented increase in the occurrence of gonorrhoea over the past five years.

The Kirby Institute recently published a report detailing an almost 100% increase in notification rates for gonorrhoea in major cities. Concerns have been raised about the rise of increasingly resistant strains of this disease.

The same report noted a general 63% increase in the presence of gonorrhoea in Australia. In 2016 there were 23,000 diagnosed cases, and undoubtedly several more unreported.

That being said, where incidences of gonorrhoea and syphilis have soared, rates of HIV have not changed much over this period.

Is the cricket ban a blessing in disguise for Steve Smith?

Cricket Australia has handed down its findings and penalties for the ball tampering fiasco in South Africa last weekend. And its penalties are harsh, particularly on Steve Smith.

In the wake of a massive public outcry, Captain Steve Smith and Vice-captain David Warner have both been banned from all Australian cricket above grade level for a year, with a further year ban from leadership positions in any side after that. Cameron Bancroft has been banned for 9 months. Smith and Warner have also been banned for a year from the IPL by the BCCI.

But does this penalty reflect the crime? The IPL ban in particular reeks of hypocrisy, given that the Indian Cricket Council is notoriously lenient on Indian players, with convicted ball tamperer Sachin Tendulkar remaining India’s most revered cricketer. Others who have committed the same crime, such as South Africa’s Faf Du Plessis, have also been allowed to play in the IPL.

The hysteria from overseas, particularly from England and India, has a strong element of schadenfreude. The mighty Australian cricket team, which has been incredibly vocal about other’s behaviour, has been caught cheating. Our mantra of playing “hard but fair” has been revealed to be nothing but words.

The vast public outcry in Australia has come from the same root causes. The intense penalties for an infraction that the ICC considers minor are intended to appease the mob.  Coming down this heavily on cheating, when no other nation has done anything remotely similar, also partially restores our moral high ground. But Steve Smith’s heavy penalty could, ironically, be a blessing in disguise for him.

Those who were howling for blood are satisfied, and have moved on to new targets such as Coach Darren Lehmann. Those who called for moderation, on the other hand, are shocked by the sentence. What actually happened was not, in the grand scheme of things, a huge deal. As the enormity of the punishment sinks in, public opinion will shift – for Smith at least.

The report by Cricket Australia indicates that Warner was the mastermind, and the one who taught Bancroft how to cheat. Smith’s complicity was reduced to seeing this going on and not stopping it. He also mislead the public in his press conference, probably under the mistaken impression that it would blow over quickly – as ball tampering scandals have in the past.

Steve Smith is guilty of being a bad leader, and of displaying incredibly poor judgement – but not conspiring to cheat. These are both reasons to remove him as captain, but not for a year ban from his sport. When he returns to the side, hopefully we all will have realised that being the best at hitting a ball with a stick doesn’t necessarily make someone a good leader. He will be a great batsman again – but not as the captain.

Bancroft, on the other hand, has got off lightly. He knowingly volunteered to cheat, and conspired with Warner to do so. Warner is unlikely to play for Australia again, and has probably suffered the appropriate penalty.

The new iPad with pencil support available for sale

Apple fans, get ready! Apple has officially revealed the newest version of their 9.7-inch iPad. Last night, the company introduced the updated version of their most popular iPad, which now features new and upgraded sensors and supports Apple Pencil. In addition, the new product version also comes with the upgraded A10 Fusion chip.

During their long-awaited Chicago event, Apple focused on the fresh and versatile features of their new addition. The new iPad was unboxed and presented as the perfect solution for students and teachers since the company believes that it can significantly improve the learning experience.

The new iPad allows you to stay creative 24/7

The new 9.7-inch iPad enhances creativity and enables users the convenience of being productive on the go. It features HD Retina display and allows you to easily write down handwritten notes or sketch, mark up photos and screenshots.

Retina display features beautiful and vivid colors, displays high-resolution details and thanks to the new touch sensor, aligns perfectly with the Apple Pencil. Ever since it was originally introduced to students with the iPad Pro, Apple Pencil has gained a lot of popularity among students, as it is considered to be one of the most popular tech tools in the classroom.

So, what’s new?

When compared to the old iPad, the new device looks almost the same, which is generally the case with Apple products. Newer generations don’t seem to be distinctive from its predecessors when it comes to the design. However, the new 9.7 inch iPad does seem to have a bit fresher design.

The biggest difference is “under the hood”. The new model is equipped for longer and better performance, with the updated sensors for Apple Pencil support and upgraded A10 Fusion chip with 64-bit architecture. Improved and longer performance allow users to multitask with high-quality and graphic-intensive apps.

Apple Pencil consists of advanced sensors, which measure tilt and pressure and enable natural drawing movement and pixel-perfect accuracy. It can be used for illustrating across a wide range of apps, such as Microsoft Office, Pages, Keynote, Numbers and more.

The Pencil aligns perfectly with the new iPad thanks to the palm rejection technology, which allows you to comfortably rest your hand on the iPad’s screen while writing.

The new iPad is improved version of the previous models

2018 iPad comes with the standard two storage options, same as the previous models. Users are able to choose between 32GB and 128GB of storage. When it comes to display and resolution, there aren’t any changes. iPad still comes with 9.7-inch Retina HD Display and 2048×1536 pixels resolution. The only difference is the new Apple Pencil support feature on the 2018 model.

Dimensions stayed the same, at 240×169.5 x 7.5mm and the device still weights 469g (Wi-Fi), while cellular model weights the same 478g. The new iPad features two cameras – front and rear-facing cameras, both equipped for excellent low-light performance and high definition FaceTime calls and video recording.

Moving on to the OS, the new model comes with the latest version of iOS 11, which unlocked some pretty cool features for the new iPad. Multitasking is much simpler with Slide Over and Split View options, while the Dock allows us to quickly access the most used apps and files.

In addition, editing and creating files is simplified as photos can be easily moved around with the Drag and Drop option. In addition, the newest iPad supports augmented reality apps which help users to connect virtual and the real world, which completely transforms the use of technology.

Pricing and Availability in Australia

The new iPad is available to order while deliveries and in-store purchase will be done by the middle of the next week if you order directly from Apple. That means that tech stores like Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi and similar, will probably have it in stock soon.

The pricing starts from A$469 for 32GB Wi-Fi model and goes up to A$799 for 128GB Cellular model.

Staff of Barnaby Joyce’s pesticides regulator leave in droves

The pesticides regulation agency that Barnaby Joyce relocated from Canberra to Armidale, his own electorate, has had over half of its staff leave in less than two years. Only a quarter of the current staff working there say that they would likely move to Armidale for their job.

Brooke Muscat-Bentley, of the public sector’s union, said that this news has “negative impacts in terms of the agriculture industry” and that it was “problematic” for Australia. The agency, known as APVMA (Australia Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority), tests and approves horticultural and agricultural chemicals before they are permitted in Australia including many common household products.

On the 2016 campaign trail, former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce, made an announcement that the APVMA would go through a relocation to Armidale in New South Wales. At that time there were 198 staff members.

Since June 2016, at least 110 employees have left the agency, 33 of which were regulatory scientists. Chief executive of APVMA, Chris Parker, said that he didn’t think it was a “disaster” but that the number of staff having left was more “than would normally leave”.

Parker said that “of course it’s a challenge” but that there were measures in place “to maintain the knowledge that we have”.

APVMA has said that most of its vacancies had been filled but that most of the new staff do not plan to move to Armidale. A recent poll showed that only 37 employees were likely to relocate.

Barnaby Joyce recently insisted that the relocation to Armidale would be “a great outcome” for Australia in the “medium to longer term”. He also said that everyone has to “make hard decisions” and they need to “iron them out”.

As well as shortages of staff, there have been several other difficulties facing the APVMA before it makes its move in 2019.

Documents that were acquired by news media show that the construction of its new facility is several weeks behind schedule, a 30k relocation offer was rejected by staff and that there is a high risk that people will lose their confidence in the regulatory authority.

Ms Muscat-Bentley said that the whole thing was “a mess from the outset” and that a choice was made “on a political whim” to relocate the offices of several people.

The APVMA is now offering up to 55k for those staff who relocate as well as lucrative retention bonuses.

Steve Smith breaks down in tears as he apologises for ball-tampering scandal

Disgraced Australian cricket captain Steve Smith broke down in tears during an emotional press conference in which he apologised profusely for the ball-tampering scandal.

Cricketer Cameron Bancroft admits “Lying & Ball Tampering” Australian Tv Interview Mar 29 2018

Julian Assange cut off from the internet by Ecuador government

The government of Ecuador has said that it has stopped Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, from gaining access to the internet in their London embassy. The reason for Ecuador’s decision was Assange’s recent social media activity where he had decried the arrest of a separatist leader in Catalonia.

In a statement by Ecuadorian officials, Assange’s most recent social media posts had “put at risk” relationships that Ecuador has with other European nations. On Tuesday it was decided that Assange’s internet access would be suspended in the hopes of preventing “any potential harm”.

Assange was also questioning the accusations against Russia that the Kremlin was responsible for the nerve agent attack on a former spy a former spy and his daughter in the UK. The Russian ambassador to Australia also raised doubts about the official story against Moscow in a recent press briefing.

Since this, Assange has gone completely silent within social media.

Ecuador has provider Assange with asylum in its London embassy since 2012 and he has remained there ever since. Ecuador has tried several times to find a means by which Assange could leave the embassy without being arrested and extradited

Earlier this year, Assange was granted Ecuadorian citizenship perhaps so he could leave the embassy to Ecuador.

Should he step foot outside the embassy, Assange would be subject to arrest by UK authorities for having skipped bail as well as by US authorities who are believed to seek his prosecution for leaking classified state department files.

While Ecuador has stood firmly by its decision to grant asylum to Assange, his relationship with his hosts has not always been peachy. His internet was suspended back in 2016 when WikiLeaks hosted a file dump that target Hillary Clinton’s campaign for the US presidency.

Former president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, was a supporter of WikiLeaks but the current president has labelled him as a dangerous hacker that has been warned not to target Ecuadorian politics.

In the British House of Commons Alan Duncan, a junior minister, said that it was “of great regret” that Assange was still in the Ecuadorian embassy. He went on to say that it was time for “this miserable little worm” to give himself up.

Assange responded to Duncan’s remarks on twitter saying that it was better to be a worm “than a snake”.

As recently as last month a UK judge refused to stop legal proceedings against Assange for skipping bail. The judge referred to Assange as someone who “wants to impose his terms on the course of justice”.

Dave Hughes receives some mixed messages after giving out phone number

Comedian Dave Hughes has received thousands of text messages after giving out his phone number of television on Tuesday night.

The messages have certainly each had a different spin but not all of them have been nice.

Hughes gave out his phone number on national television in response to accidentally posting his wife’s phone number on one of his social media accounts recently.

Unsurprisingly, his wife was less than impressed at the time and so Hughes said that he would have no issues sharing his own number as he loves interacting with the public.

So during his show ‘We Have a Problem’ Hughes shared his number with the audience. He said that following the release of his mobile number “the phone just kept ringing all night”. And the comedian literally means all night with calls and texts coming through in the early hours of the morning as his show aired in the western cities.

Dave Hughes said that he had also received a number of phone calls and was attempting to respond to every text message he got. People were Face Timing and then just throwing the phone down Hughes said at the shock of him actually answering the phone.

There were also a lot of very nice messages being sent through according to Dave Hughes with one woman saying that the “show was making them laugh for the first time” since their son passed away. “That’s a bloody lovely thing to get” Hughes said.

Whilst there were a “truckload” of positive messages coming through, the comedian did say that there were a few not so nice messages as well.

Dave Hughes did make a confession the following morning during an interview saying that the number that appeared on the screen for the viewers at home was in fact not his real number.

Whilst Dave Hughes was willing to give it out the nation, it was his management that said he couldn’t do it. I’m sure that the comedian is glad he didn’t now that he is receiving so many calls and texts.

He said that those in the live audience were lucky enough to receive his real number but for those at home it was a different SIM created especially for the show.

But everyone can still be sure that Dave Hughes will be receiving your messages as they are sent through.

More details of the messages and calls that he has received will be discussed on his radio show ‘Hughesy & Kate’ that airs between 4:30pm and 6:30pm weekdays on 2DayFM.

Oasis in Tottori Sand Dunes off-limits to save endangered beetle

An oasis in the Tottori Sand Dunes is to be off-limits to save a rare endangered species of beetle. The oasis was a hot spot for Pokémon Go players who would flock to the area to catch the virtual creatures. Unfortunately, the influx of people resulted in a beetle species being stomped out so much that it could put their existence at risk.

The oasis is planned to be roped off to protect the beetle known as Cylindela Elisae. Since the launch of Pokémon Go in 2016, the number of insects plummeted due to people stepping on them.

The Tottori Sand Dunes are a part of a national treasure as well as a protection zone that is a part of the Sanin Kaigan National Park.

Roping off the area was confirmed during a conference discussing the regeneration of the sand dunes. The decision took into account that the restriction could impact tourists visiting the landmark but ultimately officials of the Environment Ministry and other made the decision to prioritise the regeneration of the landscape.

Nobuo Tsurusaki, a professor of animal ecology, stated that if we don’t take immediate action to protect the rare species of beetle they will move even closer to extinction. To show how drastically the beetle’s population dropped, researchers released the population of the beetles over the past couple of years.

  • 2015 – 2,300
  • 2016 – 1,460
  • 2017 – 153

A figure below 500 species population is considered endangered so the fact that it is less than 25 percent of the figure is very worrying.

The drop in population of the beetles isn’t solely the fault of Pokémon Go. Rising temperatures, sparse rainfall along with the influx of stomping tourists have really put these beetles in danger of extinction.

The prefecture took advantage of the Pokémon Go craze and when there was an in game event commencing they promoted that visitors play the game on the dunes. Over the course of three days the dunes had approximately 90,000 visitors.

During the event, Tsurusaki requested to not let Pokémon appear around the oasis to avoid any more damage to the eco system of the beetles. He wants to avoid a similar fate that the Calomera Angulate suffered as they are now considered extinct due to not being spotted since 1997.

Tsurusaki stated that he believes the extinction of the Calomera Angulate was from weed-removal that took place in the dunes as it was the species main source of food.

Reasons why you would need BAA compliant LED lights

There are several reasons why you would want to have BAA compliant LED lights, whether it is for the purpose of personal home lighting, lighting of a business space or in the context of governmental work.

Light Emitting Diode lighting, or LED lighting, creates light through electricity through the release of electrons. These lights differ from regular light bulbs that use heat to produce light.

What is BAA compliance? The Buy American Act, commonly abbreviated to the BAA, states that for a product to be considered to be Made in USA, more than half of the parts that constitute the manufacture of this product must be sourced from the U.S.

BAA compliance becomes particularly important when considering governmental procurement of products (including LED lighting) for public use. That is to say, the BAA prohibits the US Government from making use of a product or material that is not BAA compliant i.e. that is not considered to be a domestically-made product.

As such, the U.S. Government may only use BAA compliant materials in projects. In the context of LED lighting, the government may only use BAA compliant LED lights for streetlights, for example.

Hence, BAA compliant LED lights are LED lights that consist of at least 50% American-made parts. It is evident why these lights are important. Here are some reasons why.

LED lighting is more energy efficient

Compared to traditional light sources, LED lighting is much more energy efficient. Approximately 80% of the electricity used to power an LED lightbulb is used for actual lighting, with 20% lost into heat and other energies.

This has clear implications both for cost-savings and the conservation of the environment. Utilising LED lighting will not only have less impact on your electricity bill, but it will also benefit the environment in the long run as less energy is wasted.

This also extends past personal home use to large scales such as in businesses, and even larger purposes such as airport lighting and urban infrastructures.

LED lighting has a long life expectancy

LED lighting has an extremely long life expectancy, especially compared to incandescent or fluorescent lighting. Some LED lights can last as long as twenty years, whereas traditional light sources are reaching the end of their lifespans in as little as two years.

This also has implications for cost-savings and environmental conservation, on top of being more hassle-free. Having to change lightbulbs frequently is tedious as is often the case with incandescent lighting.

With LED lighting, you do not have to purchase lighting as frequently, saving you money over the long run. Additionally, the fact that LED lights take so long to die out means there is significantly less waste in the environment.

Economically, BAA compliance benefits the domestic economy

On the other hand, BAA compliance is also beneficial for the domestic economy.

The purpose of the Buy American Act is primarily for the protection of domestic labour, enacting a price preference for domestic end products. This comes in the form of a requirement for the government agency purchasing the product to consider non-domestic offers that are lower-priced to be a certain percentage more costly in deciding the best value.

As such, LED lights that are BAA compliant directly support the domestic economy by virtue of taking preference over non-domestic goods, resulting in higher circulation of spending within the domestic economy.

This in turn results in a greater domestic labour outlook, higher domestic GDP and ultimately a more productive and successful economy. Hence it goes without saying that purchasing BAA compliant LED lights directly supports the domestic economy.

Whether it is their superior economic and environmental benefits, or the fact that they benefit the domestic economy, BAA compliant LED lights are a great choice for lighting in any project.

 

Europe and the US expel Russian diplomats over spy poisoning

The United States and their European allies are expelling Russian diplomats in response to the poisoning of the former Russian spy, Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia.

Over 20 countries are aligned with the UK to expel more than a total of 100 diplomats. The movement is the largest collective expulsion in history of Russian intelligence officers. Russia denies that they had any involvement with the attack on the two in Southern England earlier this year. Both Sergei and his daughter Yulia remain in a critical condition in hospital but are stable.

The leaders of the EU were in agreement last week that Russia was most likely behind the attacks. An official stated that President Putin was carrying out acts of aggression that go against the shared interests and values of the people of the continent.

This poison attack is developing into one of the most serious diplomatic crises with Russia and the Western world since Crimea was seized by Moscow. Regardless of Russia’s denial, the allies of Britain have accepted their view that the nerve agent attack was most likely conducted by the state of Russia.

UK and EU relations have been strained since he Brexit negotiation but the collective expulsions is an extraordinary sign of solidarity of US and EU members with Britain.

Earlier this month the UK announced that they would be expelling 23 Russian diplomats. The other countries that are also following suit are;

  • Australia – 2 Diplomats
  • The United States – 60
  • Ukraine – 13
  • Canada – 4 plus the rejection of any other further applications
  • Albania – 2
  • Norway – 1
  • Macedonia – 1
  • EU Countries – 33 combined

Additionally Iceland also announced that they would be suspending dialogue with the Russian authorities and that their leaders will not be attending the Football World Cup that commences in Russia in June.

The UK said that they would not be sending any members of the royal family or ministers to the World Cup either.

The EU countries that have expressed no interest in expelling the diplomats are Greece, Portugal and Austria. While they haven’t gone as far as expulsion, the three countries have said that they support the UK’s efforts for condemning the attack.

President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, stated that the states of the EU had decided that the expulsion of the Russian diplomats is the appropriate retaliation for the poisoning that happened in Salisbury.

He also said that additional measures such as the expulsion from the EU framework itself aren’t ruled out and could be a reality within the coming days and weeks.