It is important to face 'truth about everything' to beat pandemic, Ursula von der Leyen says Reported by Independent 10 hours ago.

Neighbors in Bella, Italy are getting creative to enjoy a toast with another during social distancing.

 
 
 
 
 
  Reported by USATODAY.com 49 minutes ago.

Reported by TIME 11 hours ago.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — In these dark times, clouded by fears of an enemy we can’t see and sheltered in homes we're itching to leave, it's reassuring to know that California's sunsets over the Pacific are just as vivid. You just can't enjoy them with sand between your toes.

Most beaches and virtually every other destination in California are closed because of the coronavirus outbreak. Though the outlook has improved, Gov. Gavin Newsom has written off the possibility of a typical summer. It could be one where you travel on the internet, have your temperature checked before being seated in a half-empty restaurant and worry about tan lines from your face mask.

While it's uncertain when life as we knew it will return, it's clear this summer will be like no other.

Newsom’s sobering message this week has foreshadowed warm days without large outdoor concerts, rides at amusement parks or trips to the coast.

His so-called road map to reopen the economy won’t have anyone packing their car for a trip on the open highway. It felt more like a chart of the stars that need to align before restrictions could ease.

“There is no light switch here,” the Democratic governor said. “I would argue it is more like a dimmer.”

California is trying to keep the virus from spreading further and stretching hospitals like it has in New York and Italy. Schools are closed, many businesses — including bars and dine-in restaurants — are shuttered, large gatherings are banned, and popular hiking trails and beaches are largely off-limits.

Hopes for a night under the stars at a Dodgers game in Los Angeles have faded. Dreams of eating funnel cake and watching pig races at the state fair in Sacramento evaporated. Visions of sunning on beaches and riding the waves vanished.

To begin gradually... Reported by SeattlePI.com 11 hours ago.

Rome, Italy, Apr 16, 2020 / 09:06 am (CNA).- Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI celebrated his 93rd birthday Thursday at his Vatican residence during Italy’s coronavirus lockdown.

The retired pope, who lives in the Mater Ecclesia monastery on Vatican grounds, did not have any visitors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to his personal secretary, Archbishop Georg Ganswein.

Ganswein told Vatican News April 16 that Benedict had received many emails, letters, and phone calls wishing him a happy birthday, including from his older brother Georg Ratzinger.

Benedict XVI’s quiet birthday began with Mass in the monastery chapel, and included prayer and reading, Ganswein said. Benedict also listened to some traditional songs from his homeland of Bavaria.

Ganswein said the pope emeritus is keeping informed on the coronavirus pandemic and prays daily for the sick and suffering.

“He was also particularly struck by the many priests, doctors, and nurses who have died, especially in north Italy, in carrying out their service to coronavirus patients,” the secretary said.

He added that Benedict XVI “participates in this sorrow” and follows it “with concern,” but “does not let himself be robbed of hope.”

On his birthday, Benedict was gifted a copy of a new book on his life, written by German journalist Peter Seewald. Volume one of “Benedict XVI: The Biography” will be published in German May 4 and in English toward the end of 2020.

Ganswein said Seewald had intended to give the copy of the authorized biography to the pope emeritus personally but was prevented by the current pandemic situation.

Benedict XVI resigned from the papacy in 2013, citing advanced age and declining strength that made it difficult to carry out his ministry. He was the first pope to resign in nearly 600 years.

Since his retirement, Benedict’s birthday celebrations have some years included visits from his brother, Georg, and from Pope Francis.

In a letter published in an Italian newspaper in February 2018, Benedict said, “I can only say that at the end of a slow decline in physical strength, inwardly I am on pilgrimage home.” Reported by CNA 10 hours ago.

Nigerian-born rapper Tommy Kuti, who lives in Italy, is urging Africans to take Covid-19 seriously. Reported by BBC News 10 hours ago.

In an interview with FRANCE 24 in Rome, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio discussed the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, which has hit Italy particularly hard. He also explained Italy's deconfinement strategy and called for an "international alliance" to create a vaccine under UN auspices. Finally, Di Maio expressed hope that the European Union would be "on par with the challenge it has to live up to". Reported by France 24 10 hours ago.

Deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy increased by 525 on Thursday, down from 578 the day before, but the number of new cases accelerated sharply to 3,786 from a previous 2,667. Reported by Reuters 9 hours ago.

Religions and cultures cannot fall into the trap set for them by hegemonic powers. They cannot continue to be sources of conflict among themselves or to legitimize the misleading clash of interests of the major powers. The alternative to the clash of civilizations, to the conflict between cultures, to the war of religions and to ethnic clashes is political, intercultural, intra-religious dialogue, inter-religious and interdisciplinary and the work for peace, which today must become the categorical imperative of the different cosmovisions, by which I mean the philosophical, moral, cultural, religious and spiritual traditions of humanity, if they don’t want to antagonize, ignore, or worse, destroy each other. And this for a series of anthropological, epistemological, philosophical, political, intercultural and religious reasons that I expose at continuation.

**The Necessity Of Intercultural Dialogue**

Dialogue is part of the structure of the human being. This one, rather than a wolf to his fellow man, is a social being, and sociability involves spaces of communication, meeting places, and places for dialogue. In this sense, the lack of communication, the misfortune and the monologue are the most important denial and the enemy of sociability, and they turn humans into lone wolves, worse, a destroyer of himself. The existence of the human being cannot be understood without reference to the other, others to contact and communicate with.

Dialogue is, also, part of the structure of knowledge and rationality. Reason is dialogical, not autistic ; it is intersubjective, not purely subjective. Autism constitutes one of the pathologies of epistemology. No one can say that he possesses the truth exclusively and in its totality.

Dialogue is one of the essential keys to hermeneutics. It is the door that introduces us to the understanding of events and texts of other cultural and religious traditions or of past events and texts of our own tradition.

Dialogue is an alternative to fundamentalism be it cultural, religious or ethnic. It is an antidote to the ideology of “clash” or confrontation between cultures and religions and to any totalitarian threat.

The history of religions is conducive to dialogue, it shows the symbolic richness of humanity and the plurality of manifestations of the sacred, the divine, the mystery in human history, the diversity of messages and messengers not always agree and sometimes disagree and the multiple and different responses to multiple questions about the origin and the future of the cosmos and humanity, on the meaning and the nonsense of life and of death. Uniformity constitutes an impoverishment of the religious world.

Interculturality, also, advocates interreligious dialogue. No culture or religion can consider itself in unique possession of the truth as whether it was private property received emboldened or through a mercantile operation. As well as no religion or culture alone does not hold the response to the problems of mankind or the exclusive liberating force to fight against oppression. The truth, the answer to human problems and liberation are present in all religions and cultures, albeit mixed with epistemological deviations and pathologies.

Intra-religious and inter-religious dialogue is an ethical imperative for the survival of humanity, world peace and the fight against poverty. Some 5.5 billion human beings are linked to a religious and spiritual tradition. And if they set themselves on a war footing, the world will become a towering inferno with total destructive capacity.

The search for the truth is the great task and the great challenge of interreligious and intercultural dialogue. And this in the knowledge that we will never be able to possess it completely and that we will only be able to come closer to it. All religions are human responses to the divine reality that is being manifested through different faces. Of all of them, they form a unitary pluralism, while each has a complementary singularity open to the others.

Dialogue is not about winning and beating, or convincing and forcing the caller to change his or her mind, but looking for elements of encounter from different cultural and religious positions. The scene of the dialogue can provide a process of mutual learning from each other.

Dialogue must be: inclusive of all cultures, ethnic groups, civilizations, spiritualities and religions in the face of the widespread tendency to exclude minority and ancestral religious, cultural and spiritual traditions because they are considered backward and insignificant. For this reason, one must avoid the hierarchy between developed and underdeveloped cultures, major religions and minority religions, which gives a hegemonic role to the major religions and a second fiddle role to the minority religions, and put back into question the legitimization that the great religions provide for hegemonic powers.

Intercultural dialogue requires alliance in the fight against poverty and inequality. The dialogue of cultures without dialogue of religions is ineffective, since only few cultures do not originate from religions. Dialogue between religions without dialogue between cultures is an endogamic operation. Dialogue, all dialogue, without a fight for justice, is empty. The alternative to the fundamentalists must be a radical dialogue, that is to say, a dialogue that addresses the root of the problems and that revolves around the most dramatic aggressions suffered by humanity and the earth. A dialogue between knowledge and flavours, experiences and sufferings, beliefs, unbeliefs and disbeliefs, thoughts and feelings, plural ethics and aesthetics, original peoples and peoples with more recent history, knowledge and ignorance, experiences and inexperiences.

Historically, the advent of modern states, which dates back to the 16^th century, coincided with the attribution to the state of the management of cultural differences and religious conflicts. It is a state that is supposed to develop mechanisms for mediating and reconciling the differences that proliferate within it, including religious differences. Since then, the compatibility of such differences has ceased to be a matter for religions and has been dealt with in the civil and political spheres, just as wars and the implementation of strategies for the peaceful coexistence of states among themselves and of the various social groups within each state have since been dealt with in the civil and political spheres.

It is certain that the politico-cultural climate in which we have been living for some years now is dominated by particularisms. On the one hand, these rehabilitate cultural affiliations and specificities, but on the other hand they remain vulnerable to the idea of an “inevitable clash of civilizations” (Huntington, 2000). Such an idea, reinforced by the presence of religious fundamentalisms of all kinds, risks de facto delegitimizing any theory of equality in principle and possible compatibility between differences. There is a sense that we have moved from the ethnocentric universalism that has dominated modernity to the almost “ontological” particularism of differences that is characteristic of postmodernity. By this term, we mean a historical-cultural situation characterized, at all levels, by the simultaneous cohabitation, paradoxically necessary and impossible at the same time, of multiple diversities within a “post-national constellation” (Habermas, 2009). 

In such a context act in concert : economic-financial globalization and local politics; unlimited communications and routine behavioral patterns; universal expansion of technology and socio-political particularism; defence of civil values of general interest and nationalist and regional patriotism; universalism of the rules of the social contract and its selfish applications; inclusive perspective of open societies and identity-based membership. Such a contradiction between, on the one hand, the explosion of cultural differences, claimed on the basis of various criteria of belonging (gender, race, religion, culture, etc.) ; and on the other hand, an increasingly aggressive globalization (economic, technological and communicational), calls for a new perspective in the study of the relationship between equality and difference.

**What Is Interfaith Dialogue?**

Interfaith dialogue is not a dialogue between religions or institutions, but between people who belong to different religions and recognize their equal human dignity. Dialogue is an encounter that becomes a fruitful endeavor where there is mutual respect and listening, and which involves existential issues. It is neither a negotiation on the content of faith, nor a debate in which one would seek to score points, nor an attempt to convert the other. It is a profound attitude, marked by the desire to meet the other in his or her difference; for a Christian, it is rooted in the faith that God Himself has taken the initiative of dialogue with humanity. For a Muslim dialogue is synonymous of peace and respect.

Interreligious dialogue is an issue for our world today. We live in a divided and fragmented world, where it becomes urgent, in order to resist violence, to rediscover what makes our common humanity, whatever our ethnic origin or religious affiliation. To serve the unity of humanity, which Christians and Muslims believe has its source in the Word of God, is the vocation and mission of all the faithful. Inter-religious dialogue is one form of this service to humanity. It is therefore a question of working towards a fraternal living-together, where everyone can have his or her place.

This goes through very concrete attitudes: 

· The way of speaking about the other ;
· The concern to go beyond amalgams and stereotypes ;
· As well as the desire to deepen one’s own faith and the resources that it gives for an encounter with the other in truth. 

In The Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis speaks of interreligious dialogue as part of “social dialogue as a contribution to peace» !

How can we be actors of interreligious dialogue ?

· By being men and women of relationships;
· By taking an interest in the other, in what gives meaning to one’s life;
· By taking seriously the religious dimension of the cultures of the world: openness to “greater than ourselves”, which can give breath and hope to our lives;
· By knowing how to listen… and also how to speak; and
· By witnessing that God has « come », indirectly, to join us in all the dimensions of our humanity, to teach us to become more human.

**Why Do We Need Interfaith Dialogue*?*

Society is marked by profound changes in its religious landscape. Through neighbourhood relations, school, professional work, participation in the life of associations, as well as at the highest political levels, believers find themselves led to meet other believers – Christian, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists… Whether they like it or not, they live more and more in situations that are both intercultural and interreligious. This is a de facto situation. At the same time, it is an opportunity to reflect on the foundations and objectives of interreligious dialogue.

Such a reflection is all the more necessary since many believers today, no longer, perceive – or do not yet perceive – the importance of interreligious dialogue, and often even express real fears about it. These fears do not emanate only from traditionalist currents; they are also expressed by religious people who do not belong to such currents and who, in good faith, stress the risks or even dangers of interreligious dialogue for humanity.

These reactions can be explained in particular by the rise of Islam in Europe; even if it is pointed out that Islamism must be clearly distinguished from Islam and that it represents only a radical and extreme trend, some are afraid that too much openness to Muslims in France or Europe will pay off in the medium or long term. Don’t these Muslims, they object, take advantage of the welcome given to them to become more and more established, to the point that this establishment could one day threaten societies with Christian inspiration and values?

The fears mentioned above can also be explained by forms of relativism that have gained ground in recent decades : at a time of cultural and religious intermingling, in the age of globalization, some fear that the Catholic Church’s commitment to interreligious dialogue, however well intentioned, could contribute to confusion and could ultimately maintain the idea that “all religions are equal”.

In this situation, it is important to dispel a number of misunderstandings. On the one hand, it is not religions that dialogue with each other, but believers. On the other hand, dialogue does not necessarily mean “understanding” or “agreement” ; in any case, it implies that each person can affirm what he or she believes – provided that it is with respect for others – and, while it does not aim to convert others, it does not dispense with the proclamation of the Gospel. But it is also important to say what, positively, makes such a dialogue legitimate and even necessary. 

If Christians recognize in Jesus Christ the fullness of Revelation, they believe at the same time that God makes himself present to every person and wishes to communicate his life to them ; they know with the Apostle Peter that “God is no respecter of persons, but whoever fears him and works righteousness in every nation will find acceptance with him” (Acts 10:35); they cannot therefore be indifferent to other believers and should rather, as far as possible, enter into a relationship with them.

**Dialogue Is Never Self-Evident**

Indeed, the future of every person depends on his or her ability to express (through language or any other symbolic activity) his or her deepest experiences and to share them with his or her fellow human beings. Two people who love each other, for example, but who cannot find the means to tell each other, risk seeing their love wither away. This principle applies to all human experiences, including the often very vague experience of a presence beyond the human being.

Experience also teaches us that dialogue is never self-evident, and is often even contradicted, in fact, by the phenomenon of violence. It is important to be aware of this if we are to avoid a naïve view of reality. However, the very trial of violence cannot be used as an alibi to close one’s mind to the demand for dialogue ; rather, it gives an additional reason to choose dialogue, recognizing that it is already, as such, a form of victory over violence.

When a person somehow experiences a presence that is beyond him or her, he or she is more or less aware of the meaning of that experience. Depending on the situation in which he finds himself (his cultural, social, religious background…), his awareness of this presence will be different. The Japanese of the old times will not have the same perception as a Frenchman of today, an Egyptian of four millennia ago, or an Indian of the nineteenth century… In any case, religions testify to the effort that men of every age and culture make to express, in society, their experience of God or the Absolute. This in itself provides material for forms of dialogue which help believers to live together and share, in mutual respect, the best of what is in them.

**Bitter Frustrations Of Dialogue**

-*Institutional dialogue*-

Its interlocutors are representatives of religions (or non-religious convictions), who speak on behalf of people who share their convictions. It is a political and diplomatic dialogue, in the noble sense of these terms, the aim of which is not to agree or even discuss the content of beliefs, but to produce a symbolic effect, within and outside the communities represented. When Pope Francis met the shaykh Aḥmad al-Ṭayyib, everyone had a symbolic message to convey. For example, when the two men met in Cairo in April 2017, the Pope wanted to convey the message that Muslims and Christians are together in the face of barbarism, and that there is no war of religions between them. As for the shaykh, he wanted first to affirm his spiritual authority among Muslims around the world, presenting himself as the “pope of Islam” and then he conveyed the message of peace and coexistence to the believers worldwide.

This institutional dialogue has no content other than its symbolic scope and a great deal of frustration arises from the fact that some unsuspecting observers expect it to lead to “advances” in doctrinal or ethical terms. This is exactly the impression one can get when reading the Joint Declaration, signed by Pope Francis and the shaykh Aḥmad al-Ṭayyib in Abu Dhabi in February 2019. Symbolically, it is very important that the text exists, it is the first time that a document is signed jointly by both authorities. But in terms of content, it is extremely frustrating, even scandalous: declaring that religions never incite violence is a declaration of principle that has been cruelly contradicted, for Islam and Christianity, for centuries. Similarly, to reduce religion to a call to a fraternal humanity is appallingly poor on the dogmatic level. The only thing to be retained (or almost) from this text is its existence, the extremely powerful and effective symbol that a word is possible, even if, in terms of content, it is rather hollow today.

You have probably already experienced the same frustration in meetings where an imam, a priest and a rabbi are brought in and absolutely nothing happens. What is said is a distressing platitude. People ask these meetings for what they can’t offer ! If the guests are there, it is not because they have something to say but because they represent something. Symbolically, they represent Muslims, Christians, Jews… It is a strong, necessary, beautiful image, but it is only an image. Religious dignitaries are very far from having anything relevant to say about their own religious tradition!

-*Academic dialogue*-

Its interlocutors are theologians, i.e. persons who have both a believing and a scientific approach to their faith, which they analyze with the tools of the human sciences : philosophy, hermeneutics, history, anthropology, sociology, psychology… (Let us note in passing that it would be abusive to qualify as interreligious the work of researchers in religious sciences, i.e. persons who do not have a believing approach to their object of study). 

The aim of academic interreligious dialogue is to make explicit and discuss the faith of the theological interlocutors in rational categories common to them, or at least to make explicit the different rationalities at work in the discussions between them.

Unlike the previous type of dialogue, scholars are not there to speak on behalf of the people who share their beliefs, but for their academic expertise. The purpose of this dialogue is not to agree on the faith of the other, but rather to understand what distinguishes us and how each belief finds its internal coherence. 

When theologians meet, the dominant symbolic dimension of the institutional dialogue cannot be denied and it must always be remembered that no one here “represents” his or her religion. This is a main difference with the previous type of interreligious dialogue. The Muslim theologian does not “represent” Muslim thought, but a Muslim thought, his own. The same applies to the Reformed theologian, whether Jewish or Catholic.

I also know from experience that this type of dialogue is much more interesting when the interlocutors have some knowledge of the other’s religion. I have attended infuriating sessions between Muslim and Christian theologians where most of the misunderstandings could have been avoided if the speakers knew only clichés about the other. This is precisely related to the fact that the dialogue is between intellectuals from specialized fields. 

If I put academics from different fields of expertise around the table, I have no guarantee that the discussion will be fruitful. The most interesting meetings I have attended have been between Muslim theologians and Christian Islamists. And once I attended a meeting between Catholic theologians and a Muslim Christianologist. It was fascinating. Added to this requirement is the difficulty of translations… 

**Dialogue Is A Must Today**

Religions have historically been sources of conflict, sometimes bloody wars. However, they have always been, also, a source of hope, creativity and deep meaning. Indeed, religions can and should play a key role in defining our common goals:

· The prospect of a future free of fear;
· Peaceful progress for the good of all; and
· The defence of human values against violence, hatred and discrimination.

In particular, religions must bring all the peoples of the world closer together today. They must lead them towards ever closer cooperation in the fight against injustice and poverty.

It is worth recalling that the three monotheistic religions – and they are not the only ones – have a common basis : mercy, i.e. love of neighbor and the precepts resulting from it. It is from these principles that modern societies are inspired in their search for the principles of collective and structured solidarity. Solidarity can be consolidated within a society only if it is welded together with greater solidarity.

In the dialogue between peoples, the equality of principle between cultures and the right of each to full respect for its characteristics is affirmed. However, respect for the other does not mean automatic acceptance of any cultural practice, especially when it is distinct from the reasons on which it is based. The principle of equality between cultures is meaningful only if it implies the right of every human being to physical integrity, respect for basic rights and freedom of conscience. These are things that do not make people happier, but make us individuals.

The dialogue between cultures and creeds must not promote the levelling of the world on Western values or on an absolute concept of economic individualism. 

Open dialogue and respect for others as equal interlocutors, like all higher values, is a goal that is built day by day in a never-ending work. But we must not stop working in the right direction.

Human civilizations obviously have an infinite range of original and particular characteristics. Civilization encompasses the cultural and scientific, philosophical and spiritual, economic, political and social, educational, environmental and other spheres.

However, dialogue between cultures and creeds is not and must not be merely an instrument of political dialogue in the strict sense of the term, as a veritable arm wrestling for short-term interests, nor its substitute. This would be counterproductive for both political dialogue and intercultural dialogue. On the other hand, it is true that if this dialogue of cultures and creeds is deeply rooted in the heart of civil societies, it can prepare the ground for a peaceful and fruitful political dialogue.

You can follow Professor Mohamed CHTATOU on Twitter : @Ayurinu

*Bibliographie en Français :*

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Augé Marc (1982), Génie du paganisme, Paris, Gallimard.

Bernand Carmen, Gruzinski Serge (1988), De l’idolâtrie. Une archéologie des sciences religieuses, Paris, Seuil.

Berger L. Peter (1971 [1967]), La religion dans la conscience moderne. Essai d’analyse culturelle, Paris, Centurion.

Bradbury R.E., C. Geertz, M.E. Spiro, V.W. Turner, E.H. Winter (1972 [1966]), Essais d’anthropologie religieuse, Paris, Gallimard.

Clastres Hélène (1988), « La religion sans les dieux. Les chroniqueurs du XVIème siècle devant les Sauvages d’Amérique du Sud » dans L’impensable polythéisme. Etudes d’historiographie religieuse, Schmidt Francis, Paris, Éditions des Archives Contemporaines, pp. 95-122.

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Geertz Clifford(2006), « La religion, sujet d’avenir », Le Monde du 05.05.2006.

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The post Intercultural Dialogue For A Successful Interfaith Dialogue – Analysis appeared first on Eurasia Review. Reported by Eurasia Review 9 hours ago.

The spread of the coronavirus in Stockholm and in six European countries is being tracked through sewage samples by a research group at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, which will report the results at the end of April. The researchers believe that continuing the measurements will help provide early warning of coronavirus infections, should they return to communities later on.

Italy’s heavily-stricken northern region, as well as Catalonia in Spain, a number of cities in Turkey and India, as well as parts of the Netherlands, are all included in the biweekly sampling, says Zeynep Cetecioglu Gurol, a microbiologist and wastewater engineer at KTH. Meanwhile the rapid-response effort is quickly generating offers of more water samples, including from Sweden’s second largest city, Gothenburg.

Protocols for preparing the samples, measuring the amount of coronavirus RNA and linking the level readings to an estimate of population infected, will be offered by KTH to all partners in the countries involved. In addition, sequencing will be applied regularly to follow any potential mutation of COVID-19. Cetecioglu Gurol says the wastewater authorities outside of Sweden have asked that the researchers to not identify the specific cities where wastewater samples are taken in these countries.

David Nilsson, director of the Water Center at KTH, which contributed the start-up financing for the project, says that in cooperation with Stockholm’s Water and Wastewater authority, wastewater samples are being collected at two main treatment plans. He says the concept provides a quick and low cost method for getting a wide angle view of the pandemic’s hold on a community.

“Our method provides significantly shorter detection time. So we can quickly get an early first warning for a second virus wave,” Nilsson says.

The KTH team will provide results to some of the partners, while analysis will also be performed by others. These include KWR Water Research Institute in Nieuwegein, Netherlands, which recently published the proof of concept paper in Nature showing that coronavirus, which causes the illness COVID-19, could be detected in wastewater.

“Everything is going so fast,” Cetecioglu Gurol says. “After we announced the sampling, we have been receiving more samples. And the main point is, this is about the public health, not the research.

“The most important thing is to collaborate and share what we know, and find out what others know. If people want to join our project with samples, or do their own analysis, we are ready to share.”

Cetecioglu Gurol, whose research focuses on recovering biochemical resources from wastewater, says the next step is to prepare the samples in order to concentrate the coronavirus from the sewage. That’s more difficult to do than finding RNA in bodily fluids. “Wastewater is more complicated. There are a lot of things in it besides the virus,” she says.

The samples then undergo a multi-stage process called reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). This stage basically unwinds the viral RNA and converts it into DNA, which is then further replicated so there are millions of copies – enough for a quantitative PCR instrument to detect the virus.

KTH researchers Anders Andersson and Professor Cecilia Williams are two of the scientists involved in sequencing the virus’ genetic material at the Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab). The lab is donating hours of work using specifically-optimized diagnostic assays similar those the lab uses for clinical testing.

The final step is to develop the estimating tool, based on simulations with public health data on SARS-CoV-2, coronavirus infection and other data regarding wastewater.

The group is simultaneously sampling sludge, since Sweden and other EU countries allow it to be converted to agricultural fertilizer.

The project received its initial funding from the Water Center at KTH, Department of Chemical Engineering at KTH, and the Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Sciences and Engineering (SEED) at KTH.

The post Swedish Researchers Sampling Sewage To Estimate Coronavirus’ Spread In Six European Countries appeared first on Eurasia Review. Reported by Eurasia Review 9 hours ago.

Italy's fashion leaders called on the government on Thursday to loosen restrictions imposed in response to the coronavirus crisis to allow them to resume some production, warning that a prolonged lockdown risked irreparably damaging the sector. Reported by Reuters India 6 hours ago.

· The novel coronavirus continues to cripple global oil demand, causing the price to collapse by as much as 65% since the start of the year.
· Oil giants are among the companies hurting the most. Most shale oil producers need prices in the $40s to turn a profit, yet barrels of the US benchmark, WTI, are selling for less than half of that. 
· Many oil and gas giants have already slashed capital spending, laid off or furloughed staff, and changed their production targets.
· Business Insider is tracking how top companies are responding to the oil price shock and will update this story as news breaks. 
· Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

"Cheap oil has killed nearly 200,000 US jobs." 

That was a CNN headline four years ago — the last time oil prices tanked, falling from over $100 in 2014 to just over $30 in 2016. 

Though the forces at play today are extraordinary and unprecedented, the trend for oil is similar.

Since the start of the year, the price of Brent crude has fallen steeply in response to a coronavirus-fueled collapse in demand.

And while top oil-producing nations agreed to a record cut in supply earlier this month, it's done little to buoy the price of oil so far. On Thursday afternoon, a barrel of Brent was selling for about $27 — down 65% since the start of the year. 

"This is clearly the largest production cut ever — and will be in real terms," Greg Priddy, director of global energy and the Middle East at Stratfor, told Business Insider. "But it's also the largest demand destruction that we've seen in modern times." 

*Read more:* 6 oil experts explain why OPEC's record-setting production cut will fail to stop prices from plummeting — and lay out what's ahead for the struggling industry

The virus is crippling businesses almost across the board. But the oil industry — home to many of the world's largest companies — is reeling from one of the biggest blows.

Across America's shale patch, most companies need prices in the $40s to turn a profit, Reuters reports. Yet the US benchmark, WTI, is currently less than half of that. 

In response, several oil and gas companies like Apache and Halliburton are trimming or furloughing staff, while nearly all of them have slashed their capital spending by more than 10%.

Dividends are at an increased risk of being cut, too, even among the oil majors. 

*Click here to subscribe to Power Line, Business Insider's weekly energy newsletter.*

"I knew it was part of what I signed up for," said a former employee of oil and gas exploration company Apache who was laid off a few weeks ago. "I knew there were past downturns, and I knew it was going to happen again." 

More than a million oilfield service jobs are likely to be cut this year, according to Rystad Energy. Meanwhile, the research firm projects that capital expenditure could fall by as much as $100 billion in 2020, down 17% relative to 2019, and bankruptcies could top 150 cases in 2021 if the price of US crude remains low.

Business Insider is keeping track of how top oil and gas companies are responding to the price collapse. Companies are listed below in order from smallest to largest market capitalization as of Thursday midday. 

Have you or an acquaintance been laid off by an oil company? Please contact us at energy@businessinsider.com or through the secure message app Signal at (646) 768-1657. 

*SEE ALSO: 'There is no company that will be safe': Massive layoffs and furloughs are coming to the oil industry, experts say*

-Whiting Petroleum — $28 million-

*What it is: *An oil and gas exploration and production company with large projects in North Dakota and Colorado. 

*Employment changes: *"Whiting expects to drop one rig and one completion crew within the next month," the company said in a public statement released on March 16.

*Spending cuts: *On April 1, the company filed for bankruptcy protection in Houston, "touting a proposed settlement with creditors to eliminate $2.2 billion in debt in return for a 97% equity stake," the Wall Street Journal reports. The move follows an announcement the company made in March that it's slashing its capital budget by 30%, down to $400 million to $435 million, for 2020. 

*Production cuts: *"The capital reduction is projected to have a moderate impact on full-year 2020 total production and oil production," the company said in March, though it didn't specify what that means in barrels. -Apache — $2.9 billion-

*What it is: *A large oil and gas exploration and production company, headquartered in Houston, Texas. 

*Employment changes: *Apache is planning to lay off 85 people in Midland, Texas, state filings show. "We are lowering our Permian rig count to zero and focusing capital elsewhere in our portfolio and, as a result, have made the difficult decision to further reduce staff," Apache said in a statement. "We are working to support affected employees."

*Spending cuts: *Apache is cutting its capex for 2020 by about $1.3 billion, or more than 50%, according to a public statement. The oil and gas exploration company is also slashing its dividend payments — from $0.25 to $0.025 per share. "The company will use the $340 million of cash retained annually from the dividend reduction to further strengthen its financial position." The company is also reducing $150 million in cost through other changes in the organization, which it started to implement last year.

*Production cuts: *Apache is planning to reduce its rig count to zero in the Permian Basin, according to a public statement it released on March 12. 

Have you or an acquaintance been laid off by an oil company? Please contact us at energy@businessinsider.com or through the secure message app Signal at (646) 768-1657. -Devon Energy — $3.2 billion-

*What it is: *A large oil and gas exploration and production company headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 

*Employment changes: *No layoffs or furloughs have been reported so far. 

*Spending cuts: *Devon is slashing its 2020 capital investment by nearly 50%, or about $800 million, down to a budget of about $1 billion, according to public statements. 

*Production cuts: *The company said it will "defer" activity in Eagle Ford, an oil-producing region, which made up 15% of the company's production last year. Devon said its STACK and Powder River Basin projects will also see cuts. -Continental Resources — $3.8 billion-

*What it is:* An oil and gas exploration and production company, and the largest leaseholder in the Bakken oilfield of North Dakota and Montana. 

*Employment changes: *The company has not announced any layoffs or furloughs but it is shrinking its rig count, which could result in changes to its workforce.

*Spending cuts: *The company said it would slash capital spending by more than 50%, down to $1.2 billion from an original planned $2.7 billion. Continental Resources is also suspending its quarterly dividend. 

*Production cuts: *Continental is shrinking its rig count from nine to three in the Bakken Oilfield in the northern US, and from 10.5 to four in Oklahoma, it said in a statement published in late March. "Global crude oil and product demand is estimated to have been impacted by 30% due to COVID-19," the company said in early April. "Accordingly, we are reducing our production for April and May 2020 in a similar range."-Diamondback Energy — $4.5 billion-

*What it is: *An oil and gas exploration and production company operating in the Permian Basin. 

*Employment changes:* No layoffs or furloughs have been reported so far, but earlier this month the company said that it's "reducing activity immediately from nine completion crews to six and expects to drop two drilling rigs in April 2020 and a third later in the second quarter of 2020."

*Spending cuts: *Diamondback is cutting its 2020 capital budget by $1.2 billion, down to between $1.5 billion and $1.9 billion, and it's "prepared to decrease its budget further should commodity prices remain weak," the company said in a public statement. 

*Production cuts: *The company estimates it will produce 183,000-193,000 barrels of oil per day in 2020, per a recent public statement, compared to the 195,000 barrels per day the company produced in the last three months of 2019. -Halliburton — $5.9 billion-

*What it does:* One of the world's largest oilfield service and product companies, headquartered in Houston, Texas. 

*Employment changes: *On Monday, April 6, Halliburton said it would lay off about 350 staff members in Oklahoma, starting at the company's Duncan, Oklahoma facility, per Reuters. In March, the firm said it would furlough 3,500 employees in Houston for two months. "The affected staff will alternate working one-week on and one-week off during the two-month period," Reuters reported. 

*Spending cuts: *The company "will significantly reduce spending this year below its original $1.2 billion budget," Reuters reports, though the company did not specify by how much. 

 

 -Occidental Petroleum — $11.7 billion-

*What it is: *Occidental is a large oil and gas exploration and production company, and "the leading producer and largest acreage holder in the Permian Basin," according to its website. 

*Employment changes: *Occidental, or Oxy, said it will significantly reduce executive salaries. "Some of Occidental's US workers will have their pay cut by 30%," Reuters reports, while others will see smaller cuts. The oil giant is also cutting CEO Vicki Hollub's pay by more than 80%, according to the Houston Chronicle, in addition to suspending bonuses and hiring. 

*Spending cuts: *Oxy is planning to cut production nearly in half to about $2.8 billion, down from $5.3 billion, for 2020, it said in a public statement. Occidental is also cutting operating and corporate costs by at least $600 million. "Occidental had already pared spending and cut its shareholder dividend by 86% earlier this month," per Reuters. 

*Read more: *'There is no company that will be safe': Massive layoffs and furloughs are coming to the oil industry, experts say-Schlumberger — $19.8 billion-

*What it is: *The largest oilfield services company in the world. 

*Employment changes:* Schlumberger expects layoffs and to shrink worker pay, per the Houston Chronicle. 

*Spending cuts: *The company said it would cut it's spending by 30%, relative to last year, according to Reuters. 

*Production cuts: *"The company expects a rapid reduction in active drilling and hydraulic fracturing activity, estimating the number of rigs in operation could fall to levels last seen during the 2016 downturn," per Reuters. -EOG Resources — $22.1 billion-

*What it is: *A large oil and gas exploration and production company, based in Houston. 

*Employment changes: *No staff layoffs or furloughs have been reported so far, but at least one oilfield service firm laid-off workers after losing its work with EOG Resources, the Los Angeles Times reported.

*Spending cuts: *EOG said it's shrinking "exploration and development" expenses for 2020 by 31%, down to between $4.3 billion and $4.7 billion.

*Production cuts: *"The revised capital plan supports full-year 2020 crude oil production of 446,000 to 466,000 barrels of oil per day, approximately flat compared to full-year 2019 levels," the company said in a statement. 

 -Phillips 66 — $23.8 billion-

*What it is: *A spinout of the oil giant ConocoPhillips focused on midstream and downstream products, such as gasoline and petrochemicals, headquartered in Houston. 

*Employment changes: *No layoffs or furloughs have been reported so far. 

*Spending cuts: *The company said it's slashing consolidated capital spending by $700 million, down to $3.1 billion, for 2020. "We're doing this by deferring and canceling some projects," Greg Garland, Philipps 66's chairman and CEO, said on a call with investors. The company is also cutting operating and administrative expenses by an additional $500 million for the year. 

*Production cuts: *Garland said the company would defer several projects including the Red Oak Pipeline and the Liberty Pipeline, which is expected to deliver crude oil from the Rocky Mountains and Bakken oilfield to Cushing, Oklahoma, a major trading hub. 

 -ConocoPhillips — $33.4 billion-

*What it is: *One of the largest oil and gas exploration and production companies in the world, also based in Houston. 

*Workplace changes: *No layoffs or furloughs have been reported so far. 

*Spending cuts: *ConocoPhillips is cutting planned capital spending for 2020 by $2.3 billion, or about 35%, the company said in a public statement. The company is also slashing operating expenses by about $600,000. 

*Production cuts: *The company is paring back production by about 200,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, the statement said, the largest voluntary cut announced so far. -Equinor — $39.5 billion-

*What it is: *A Norwegian energy giant that develops oil and gas projects, in addition to clean energy including offshore wind. 

*Employment changes: *No layoffs or furloughs have been reported so far. 

*Spending cuts: *Equinor said it's cutting capital expenditure for 2020 by about $2.5 billion, or 20%. The company is also reducing exploration and operating costs by a total of $1.1 billion and suspending its share buyback program. 

*Production cuts:* "Within US onshore activities, drilling and completion activities are being halted to produce the volumes at a later period," the company said. -Eni — $66 billion-

*What it is: *Eni is one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, headquartered in Italy. 

*Employment changes: *No layoffs or furloughs have been reported so far. 

*Spending cuts: *The company said it would cut capital spending for 2020 by about 2 billion euros (about $2.2 billion), or by 25% or so, according to a public statement. Eni is also planning to reduce operating expenses by about 400 million euros (about $437 million). "We are taking these actions in order to defend our robust balance sheet and the dividend while maintaining the highest standards of safety at work," Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi said.

*Production cuts: *"As a result of these measures and the current depressed scenario, production in 2020 is expected between 1.8 and 1.84 million barrels of oil equivalent per day, and it will remain unchanged in the following year," the company said in the statement. -BP — $73.8 billion-

*What it is: *A London-based supermajor and one of the largest energy companies in the world, involved in both upstream and downstream activities. 

*Employment changes: *The company said it would not lay off staff for pandemic-related issues for at least three months. 

*Spending cuts: *BP is cutting its 2020 capital expenditure by about 25%, down to about $12 billion, according to a public statement. As part of that, the company said it would slash around $1 billion from both upstream (oil exploration and production) and downstream (refining and petrochemicals) activities. 

*Production cuts:* BP expects to produce 70,000 fewer barrels of oil equivalent per day, making 2020 production lower than output in 2019. -Total — $83.8 billion-

*What it is: *A French oil "major," and one of the largest energy companies in the world.  

*Employment changes: *Total is freezing recruitment. "I'm instructing everyone to freeze hiring," Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman & CEO of Total, said in a video message to employees.

*Spending cuts: *Total said it would slash capex by about $3.3 billion, or 20%, "reducing 2020 net investments to less than $15 billion." Most of the reductions will come in the oil exploration and production division. The company is also suspending its $2 billion share buyback program. 

Have you or an acquaintance been laid off by an oil company? Please contact us at energy@businessinsider.com or through the secure message app Signal at (646) 768-1657. -Royal Dutch Shell — $126 billion-

*What it is: *Considered an oil "supermajor," Shell is one of the largest companies in the world, involved in nearly all aspects of the energy supply chain. 

*Employment changes: *No layoffs or furloughs have been reported so far. 

*Spending cuts: *Shell is planning to shrink capital expenditure by about $5 billion to $20 billion or below, the company said in a public statement. The oil giant is also planning to reduce operational expenditure by an additional $3 billion to $4 billion in the next year, relative to 2019. "Together, these initiatives are expected to contribute $8 - 9 billion of free cash flow on a pre-tax basis," the company said. The oil giant said it's also suspending its share buyback program. 

*Production cuts: *Shell is cutting production at two Louisiana refineries, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. 

 -Chevron — $148 billion-

*What it is: *Chevron is one of the world's largest oil and gas companies involved in both upstream and downstream activities. 

*Employment changes: *None have been reported so far, though sources familiar with the matter told Business Insider that the company is starting to lay down rigs in the Permian Basin. 

*Spending cuts: *Chevron said it will cut capital expenditure by 20%, or $4 billion, to about $16 billion in 2020, largely by shrinking spending in the Permian Basin. The company has also pledged to protect its dividend payments. "Chevron's financial priorities remain unchanged," Chevron's CFO Pierre Breber said in a public statement. "Our focus is on protecting the dividend, prioritizing capital that drives long-term value, and supporting the balance sheet." The oil giant has also axed its $5 billion share buyback program. 

*Production cuts: *The company said that 2020 production will remain relatively flat, compared to 2019, though its spending cuts translate to "125,000 fewer barrels of oil equivalent per day," Bloomberg reports.

 

 -ExxonMobil — $167 billion-

*What it is: *An oil and gas supermajor involved in upstream and downstream activities. It was formed in 1999 through the merger of Exxon and Mobil and is now one of the largest companies in the world. 

*Employment changes: *No company layoffs have been reported, but Exxon's spending cuts are likely to affect its workforce. "We are notifying contractors and vendors of our intended reductions, and they may be adjusting their staffing and budgets accordingly," Jeremy Eikenberry, a spokesman, told Reuters. Exxon also cut 1,800 contractors at a refinery in Baton Rouge, Louisiana earlier this month, per Reuters, though they were employed by a third party. 

*Spending cuts: *The company is slashing capital expenditure for 2020 by 30%, from $33 billion to $23 billion, according to a public statement. Exxon said it's also cutting operating expenses for the year by 15%.

*Production cuts: *The oil giant plans to shutter a small, gasoline-making facility in Baytown, Texas, and has closed a small crude oil distillation unit in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, according to Reuters. In the statement, Exxon said its spending cuts would affect the pace of drilling and well completion, largely in the Permian Basin. 

Are we missing information? Let us know by reaching out to energy@businessinsider.com. 

· Read more:
· The price of oil could go negative — and it means some producers would pay people to take their oil
· 'There is no company that will be safe': Massive layoffs and furloughs are coming to the oil industry, experts say
· More than 1 million oil workers are set to lose their jobs this year, a new analysis reveals
· What will happen to the $360 billion renewable energy industry in a recession, according to industry experts Reported by Business Insider 8 hours ago.

For two days this month, AP photographer Domenico Stinellis captured the life of Dr. Giovanni Passeri as he tried to save lives and care for patients infected with the novel coronavirus. The disease has claimed more than 21,000 lives in Italy. (April 16)

 
 
 
 
 
   Reported by USATODAY.com 8 hours ago.

Italian trade unions said on Thursday they had agreed with CNH Industrial on health and security measures so the vehicle maker is ready to resume work as soon as lockdown rules are eased. Reported by Reuters 8 hours ago.

Populists will win "in Italy, in Spain, perhaps in France and elsewhere" if European countries do not launch a rescue fund that can issue joint debt to cope with the fallout of the coronavirus epidemic, French President Emmanuel Macron told the Financial Times. Reported by Reuters 9 hours ago.

Italy's budget deficit will be near 10% of gross domestic product this year, a senior government official told Reuters, as Rome increases borrowing to try to soften the impact of the new coronavirus and the economy plunges into a deep recession. Reported by Reuters 8 hours ago.

The UK has the fifth-highest official death toll from COVID-19 in the world, after the U.S., Italy, Spain and France.

The post UK extends lockdown measures for three weeks appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria. Reported by Premium Times Nigeria 8 hours ago.

Fiorentina president Rocco Commisso has told United to forget any hopes they had of prising a talented attacker from their grasp.

The post Man Utd told ‘situation has changed’ over bid for talented Italy winger appeared first on teamtalk.com. Reported by Team Talk 7 hours ago.

The Toffees are looking to trade one expensive recruit for another - and the star Ancelotti has designs on is a something of a worldie.

The post EXCLUSIVE: Everton offer unsettled star in bid for prolific Italy striker appeared first on teamtalk.com. Reported by Team Talk 6 hours ago.

MIT recently trained a machine learning model to accurately predict the spread of COVID-19. According to the AI, we should be seeing a plateau where the amount of new cases begins to level off in the US and Italy in the next week. This good news, however, comes with a dire warning: relaxing quarantine measures too soon will be catastrophic. The engineers behind the AI explain the results as being very similar to the situation that happened in Singapore where quarantine and social distancing efforts managed to almost completely flatten the curve before an ill-advised return to business as usual…

This story continues at The Next Web Reported by The Next Web 5 hours ago.