Judo guy subdues hooligan at supermarket

LONDON: British supermarkets have called on consumers to be more considerate and reiterated they have adequate supplies, as the coronavirus saw shelves plundered and a surge in online orders. The country's leading groceries retailers, including Tesco, Sainsbury's and Waitrose, penned a joint letter to customers, which ran in newspapers on Sunday and Monday (Mar 16) appealing for calm. "We need your help," they wrote. "We would ask everyone to be considerate in the way they shop. There is enough for everyone if we all work together." British stores have been inundated with shoppers for more than a week, with people panic buying toilet paper, and long-life items such as pasta and canned goods. READ: Britain set to isolate older people as COVID-19 deaths rise to 35 Online shopping, a popular choice in Britain, has been disrupted, with long waiting times for scheduled deliveries and some supermarkets' websites crashing due to demand. Morrisons said on Monday it … [Read more...] about UK supermarkets call for calm as coronavirus fears trigger panic buying

TOKYO: The International Judo Federation has cancelled all Olympic qualification events through to the end of April because of the global coronavirus epidemic, saying it was of utmost importance to keep athletes safe as travel has become increasingly risky. All qualifiers up to April 30, including the Ekaterinburg Grand Slam in Russia and the Grand Prix events in Tbilisi, Georgia, and in Antalya, Turkey, have been cancelled, the federation said in a statement. "Unfortunately the situation is now dangerous and critical from many points of view," the federation said. "It is of paramount importance to keep the judo family safe in these difficult times, and also to ensure fair chances for all athletes engaged in the Olympic qualification." The coronavirus outbreak has disrupted several other qualifiers for Tokyo 2020 and sparked worries the Games could be delayed or cancelled outright. The Summer Olympics are scheduled from July 24 to Aug. 9. (Reporting by Chris Gallagher; … [Read more...] about Judo qualifiers scrapped through end-April over coronavirus fears

The Buffalo Police Department in New York has deployed BolaWrap for the first time, using the restraint tool last week to subdue a woman during a mental health call. On Friday, officers responded to a call about a woman who might harm herself or others and was "underdressed" in the snow, WGRZ reported. Police said they spoke to the woman at length and urged her to get into a police car to be taken for a medical evaluation. She refused, prompting officers to use BolaWrap. It allowed officers to transport the woman to hospital without anyone getting hurt, police said. BolaWrap is a hand-held device that fires a Kevlar cord that wraps around a person's arms or legs from 10 to 25 feet away. The lasso-type tool is designed to detain a person from a distance, giving officers an alternative to guns or Tasers. Wrap Technologies, its manufacturer, describes BolaWrap as like "remote handcuffs" and says on its website that it "safely and humanely restrains resisting subjects from a … [Read more...] about What Is BolaWrap? Buffalo Police Deploy Lasso-Style Device to Subdue Woman

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives announced an oversight investigation of Gov. Tom Wolf’s (D) handling of nursing homes and long-term care facilities during the coronavirus pandemic. Reps. Mike Kelly (R-PA), Fred Keller (R-PA), Dan Meuser (R-PA), Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA), Scott Perry (R-PA), Lloyd Smucker (R-PA), John Joyce (R-PA), and Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA) issued the following statement: The Pennsylvania Republican Congressional Delegation thanks the members of the General Assembly for taking the necessary steps to investigate the Wolf administration’s disastrous policies relating to our state’s nursing homes and long-term care facilities. Last March, the Pennsylvania Department of Health issued guidance requiring nursing homes to admit COVID-positive patients. Today, more than half of the state’s COVID fatalities have occurred in these facilities. Unfortunately, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro has repeatedly failed to investigate the policies that put … [Read more...] about Pennsylvania House to Investigate Gov. Tom Wolf Sending Coronavirus Patients to Nursing Homes

ZURICH: Switzerland will make 10 billion Swiss francs (US$10.5 billion) available in immediate assistance to support businesses hit by the coronavirus, the government said on Friday as it ramped up its response to the widening pandemic. It will also impose checks on all borders and close schools until at least Apr 4, it said, as the number of confirmed cases of the virus in Switzerland and Liechtenstein surpassed 1,000. The government also banned events with more than 100 people, tightening existing curbs. Entry from neighbouring Italy, which has borne the brunt of the outbreak in Europe, has been limited, while the government advised people to keep their distance from each other to slow the spread of the virus. National train operator SBB said it would cancel tourist trains and group tours, after taking advice from the public health ministry. President Simonetta Sommaruga described the situation as difficult and said it required drastic measures to be rolled out immediately. … [Read more...] about Swiss ramp up coronavirus response with US$10.5 billion aid package, close schools