NewsColony

NewsColony Singer’s $9.4M gift to her parents © The Independent Singapore Taipei — Taiwanese singer and girl group S.H.E member Selina Jen is known to be a very filial daughter. With a successful career of two decades, the 39-year-old definitely has the financial means to prove it in an epic way. On Thursday (Nov 26), Selina shared a video of herself and her younger sister, actress Lorene Jen, 32, giving their parents a tour of her newly-renovated home in Taipei’s Shilin District. It was a surprise gift to them. The 465 sq m unit was purchased by Selina and her former husband, lawyer Richard Chang, for NT$200 million (S$9.4 million). They got married in 2011 but split up in 2016. The home became a huge storeroom after that, according to news reports. © The Independent Singapore This is how it used to look like. Picture: Weibo A year ago, the sisters decided to remodel the home as a surprise gift for their parents. The home now has a stunning European-inspired design with l...

NewsColony Views differ on SG-HK travel © The Independent Singapore Academic Donald Low pointed out the differences in how residents of Singapore and Hong Kong reacted to the suspension of the travel bubble between the two cities, which was scheduled to begin last Sunday (Nov 22) but was cancelled due to the rising cases of Covid-19 in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is now battling the fourth wave of Covid-19 infections, in large part due to 311 cases linked to the city’s dance halls. On Sunday, Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung announced that the launch of the travel bubble, which would have allowed travelers from both cities to fly in and out without quarantining provided they underwent swab testing, would be deferred for at least two weeks, after which a review would be conducted and new announcements would be made. Many residents from both cities had jumped at the chance to travel again, and the travel bubble would have done much to begin to revive the airline and tourism sectors, which...

NewsColony ‘Electric’ blood vessels to help treat heart disease A man-made ‘electronic’ blood vessel that replaces diseased arteries could transform the treatment of heart disease. The hollow implant, made of plastic mesh and metal and about the width of a straw, is packed with cells capable of growing into healthy endothelial tissue — the kind that makes up blood vessels throughout the body. Days before being surgically implanted to replace a section of diseased blood vessel, the implant is zapped with a mild electric current. The metal content acts as a conductor, allowing the current to pass through the device. A man-made ‘electronic’ blood vessel that replaces diseased arteries could transform the treatment of heart disease [File photo] The current stimulates the dormant stem cells inside the implant to grow and spread, gradually forming healthy new blood vessel tissue around the implant.  (An entirely artificial blood vessel, such as one made of plastic, would be ...

NewsColony Trump advisers say President sees ‘the writing on the wall’ Senate TV Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called for confirmation hearings for President-elect Joe Biden’s Cabinet nominees immediately after the Georgia runoff elections on Jan. 5.  “In the midst of this once in a century crisis, it’s imperative the next administration can count on the Senate to confirm its cabinet without delay,” he said on the Senate floor on Monday.  Schumer said the hearings should take place before Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20 and that staff should begin preparing for the proceedings as the President-elect chooses who he intends to nominate. Biden has already named his picks for several top administration roles, including Secretary of State and Treasury secretary. Schumer praised many of Biden’s choices, including Janet Yellen as Treasury secretary and Neera Tanden as director of the Office of Management and Budget. He slammed some of his Republican colleagu...

NewsColony NY governor worried about ‘overwhelming the hospital system’ New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo delivers a Covid-19 update in Rochester, New York, on November 25. Mike Groll/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo/AP New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today that state will begin using hospitalizations as a main metric to determine cluster zones and closures across the state Hospitalization rates are increasing across the state, Cuomo said, adding that “every region is dealing with a hospital issue now,” and that capacity is the top concern. “We are now worried about overwhelming the hospital system,” Cuomo said. The governor said he is talking to hospital administrators across the state. “We want to know where they are today with their capacity, with their PPE, et cetera,” Cuomo said. “We learned this lesson the hard way. We have about 54,000 hospital beds in this state, we were told we would need about 120,000. We lived this nightmare. We learned from this nightmare, and we...

NewsColony Pubs that don’t serve food to get millions to stop them going bust during second lockdown Pubs crippled by Covid restrictions are to be given tens of millions of pounds in extra financial support. So-called ‘wet pubs’ – those which do not serve food – will be eligible for grants to help them survive the winter.  The support will be available in all Tier Two and Three areas, which cover 99 per cent of the population. But there will be no additional help for restaurants or pubs that serve meals, despite the fresh restrictions on their trade. Pubs crippled by Covid restrictions are to be given tens of millions of pounds in extra financial support (file image) The move is designed to curb Tory anger over the impact of Covid curbs on a hospitality sector that has already weathered two national lockdowns. The idea was floated by Downing Street with rebel MPs over the weekend, leaving the Treasury blindsided yesterday by reports that Rishi Sunak was poised to open...

NewsColony Western Australia FINALLY reveals the date the state will open to the rest of the country Western Australia will allow travellers from New South Wales and Victoria to enter the state without the need for quarantine from December 8. Premier Mark McGowan announced the relaxed border restrictions on Tuesday, after Victoria went 28 days without a community case of coronavirus  last week.   Victoria and NSW will be categorised as ‘very low risk’ under WA’s controlled borders from December 8, joining the ACT, Queensland, Northern Territory and Tasmania.   South Australia will be the only state locked out of WA. They will be categorised as ‘medium risk’ until at least December 11.  Western Australia will allow travellers from New South Wales and Victoria to enter the state without needing to quarantine from December 8  ‘I look forward to Western Australians being able to see friends and family from NSW and Vi...

NewsColony Revelations Crown empire lost $400MILLION in the last year and had $600million wiped from its value Billionaire James Packer’s private company lost a reported $400million in the last financial year and Crown ­Resorts had more than $600million reduced from its value, damning financial statements have revealed. Consolidated Press Holdings, which owns close to a 40 per cent stake in the casino operator, posted a $402million loss for the year ending June 30, 2020. It’s profit revenue was only said to be $16million, compared to a $46million profit from the previous financial year. Much of the significant deficit was due to the dwindling Crown share price – down more than 25 per cent – as well as the suspension of dividend payments, The Australian  reported. James Packer’s (pictured above) private company lost $400million in the last financial year and Crown ­Resorts had more than $600million wiped from its value according to recent financial disclosures ...

NewsColony Why no vaccine can ever be 100% effective The announcement of not one but three coronavirus vaccines has been widely welcomed, in particular, their effectiveness. Preliminary results of clinical trials into the three jabs show their effectiveness — how good they are at stopping people from getting Covid symptoms — varies from 62 per cent to 95 per cent.  The news that none of them reported 100 per cent might sound perplexing. But, the fact is, no vaccine does. Indeed, experts believe the new coronavirus jabs may offer better protection than many other vaccines. The three coronavirus vaccines that have recently reported results with effectiveness rates of up to 95 per cent are actually high compared with some vaccines; the flu jab, for example, is only 50 per cent effective on average [File photo] ‘Seventy or 90 per cent effectiveness is remarkably high,’ says Dr Andrew Preston, a reader in microbial pathogenesis at the University of Bath.  ‘It mea...

NewsColony Working For Chicago: Help Wanted At O’Hare Shipping Company CHICAGO (CBS) — CBS 2 is Working for Chicago to provide helpful information to get you back to work. There’s another company hiring in the Chicagoland area. As holiday deliveries ramp up, so does the need for workers who can handle these packages. The company Worldwide Flight Services is looking for 50 employees to work in the cargo area at O’Hare. Cargo agents will help with loading and unloading packages. These are union roles and come with benefits like vision and dental coverage. Check out the Working for Chicago section in the new CBS 2 app for more information. Also From CBS Chicago: Source: CBS Chicago | News Colony The post Working For Chicago: Help Wanted At O’Hare Shipping Company appeared first on NewsColony . NewsColony source https://newscolony.com/working-for-chicago-help-wanted-at-ohare-shipping-company/

NewsColony Prehistory: Archipelago SURVIVED the massive tsunami that cut Britain off from Europe in 6,200 BC An archipelago survived the tsunami that cut Britain off from Europe 8,200 years ago — and may have been a staging ground for early farmers migrating over from the continent and bringing agricultural practices with them. Researchers from the UK and Estonia analysed sediment cores from the south of Doggerland, which used to link the east of England with the Netherlands , the western coast of Germany and the Jutland Peninsula. This land mass began sinking around 6,500 BC due to rising sea levels — caused in turn by the melting at the end of the last ice age and the upward ‘rebound’ of the continental mass after the weight of the ice was removed.   Doggerland’s fate was thought sealed by the ‘ Storegga slide ‘ — a submarine landslip in around 6,200 BC, believed to have submerged the land bridge through one or more tsunamis, likely killing thousands in the ...

NewsColony As Unemployment Numbers Rise, One Man Says He Has Had No Money For 8 Months And Counting And Is Getting No Help CHICAGO (CBS) — New numbers say unemployment in Illinois has gotten worse, not better. CBS 2 Political Investigator Dana Kozlov found one man who is stuck with no job and no money – and who is getting no help from the state’s unemployment office. Kevin McKay has had no income for eight months and counting. McKay, 24, is also about to become a father, and is on the verge of getting kicked out of his apartment. He is included in a wave of people who have been struggling with the Illinois Department of Employment Security for months. As shutdowns continue, Illinois’ unemployment claims are – perhaps not surprisingly – shooting way up . IDES officials report 65,596 new claims – up 40 percent from one week prior. And that is only adding to McKay’s stress. “You can’t take care of your family. You can’t take care of your daughter that’s coming,” McKay said. “Like y...

NewsColony Man City XI vs Porto: Confirmed team news, predicted lineup, latest injuries for Champions League game However, manager Pep Guardiola allayed fears that Aguero could be set for another spell on the sidelines. “I am not concerned,” he told reporters on Monday. “He didn’t train. He has some disturbance in his knee, nothing serious, but he didn’t train.” Related £40million summer signing Nathan Ake has recovered from a thigh injury and will make the trip to Portugal, meanwhile. Guardiola confirmed that he was considering rotating his side against Porto, with Group C leaders City boasting a 100% record in this season’s Champions League and having already guaranteed progression through to the last 16 as a result of Phil Foden’s goal in Greece. However, he dismissed suggestions that he would take the opportunity to hand opportunities to some of the club’s academy players as City try to make sure of top spot in the group and – in theory – an easier task in th...