<keyword id="19895037" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bengaluru" source="keywords">Bengaluru</keyword>'s <keyword id="20445379" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pet-owners" source="keywords">pet owners</keyword> have long faced challenges and odd requests from landlords and <keyword id="20160734" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="resident-welfare-associations" source="keywords">Resident Welfare Associations</keyword> (<keyword id="20419530" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="RWAs" source="keywords">RWAs</keyword>). From hefty non-refundable deposits to restrictions on pet movement within residential areas, the city's pet-owning residents have had to navigate a complex web of regulations. However, a recent set of guidelines issued by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) marks a significant shift in favour of pet owners. In response to mounting complaints from pet owners and caretakers, the BBMP introduced comprehensive guidelines for RWAs and apartment owners. These guidelines aim to address the management of <keyword id="22522949" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="community-animals" source="keywords">community animals</keyword> and protect pet owners from being forced to abandon their pets or comply with unreasonable restrictions. <h2>Key points from the BBMP's guidelines include:</h2>No bans on pets: RWAs and apartment owners are prohibited from banning pets within residential layouts, common areas, or lifts, provided they are on a leash. All citizens have an equal right to care for the environment and choose pets of their choice. Feeding community animals: Public institutions, educational facilities, tech parks, and similar establishments must arrange food and drinking water for street animals, placing them in safe locations on their premises. Scheduled pet walks: Associations must set schedules for pet walking in the mornings and evenings and report any unauthorised breeding centres to BBMP. Humane Treatment of Animals: Institutions are advised against using sticks or security personnel to chase away dogs and cats, as such actions are illegal. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111981382" title="BBMP’s newest contest can earn you up to Rs 1 lakh for uploading &amp;#39;Dengue Warrior&amp;#39; reels on social media!" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>To ensure the welfare of community animals and manage public safety, BBMP has also introduced rules for feeding animals in public spaces. Highlights include: <ul><li>No feeding between 11:30 PM and 5 AM</li><li>Discouraging raw meat and sugary biscuits to prevent hyperactivity in dogs.</li><li>Consistent feeding schedules to prevent restlessness and aggression.</li><li>Prohibition of leftover food on curbside to avoid rodent problems.</li><li>Avoiding feeding during high public density times to prevent aggressive behaviour.</li></ul> The movement to protect pet owners' rights in Bengaluru gained significant momentum with a <a href="https://www.change.org/p/strict-action-against-resident-apartment-associations-that-ban-pets">Change.org petition</a> started in 2017, which has since garnered over 40,000 signatures. The petition called for strict action against resident apartment associations that imposed bans on pets, highlighting the need for official intervention and standardised guidelines. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111882948" title="Karnataka govt proposes to impose 2% cess on movie tickets, OTT subscription fees" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>The new <keyword id="22558383" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="BBMP-guidelines" source="keywords">BBMP guidelines</keyword> are a significant step forward in ensuring that pet owners in Bengaluru are treated fairly and that community animals are cared for humanely. By setting clear rules and protecting the rights of pet owners, the BBMP aims to create a more <keyword id="22558387" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pet-friendly-city" source="keywords">pet-friendly city</keyword> where residents and animals can coexist harmoniously.

Bengaluru landlords and associations cannot ban residents from having pets — here’s what the BBMP guidelines say

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Luxaviation's CEO told a FT summit that one of his firm's clients produced as much CO2 as three dogs per year.</li><li>He was responding to criticism about the industry's environmental impact amid soaring demand.</li></ul>A private jet company boss has defended his industry by comparing greenhouse emissions from private flights to pollution from pets.Patrick Hansen, the CEO of Luxembourg-based Luxaviation, told the Financial Times Business of Luxury Summit in Monaco that one of his company's customers produced just about 2.1 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year — about the same amount as what three dogs produce, <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/d5845324-8355-4509-b90e-2b2d0681da7b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to a Wednesday report by the FT.</a>Hansen made the comment while responding to criticism about the industry's environmental impact. Luxaviation calculated the carbon footprint of each of its 67,000 passengers in 2022 based on the direct impact of flying, excluding the carbon dioxide emissions of servers, maintenance, and other services, Hansen told Insider.The executive referenced data from <a href="https://affiliate.insider.com?amazonTrackingID=biauto-59453-20&amp;h=fbfd7d6b0f61fabaf7afa4545c34b4976bd0b72a983177ad189e188edff6aac2&amp;postID=646ef32f75c45f49810eaaa2&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FHow-Bad-Are-Bananas-Everything%2Fdp%2F1553658310" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"How bad are bananas?"</a> a book about the carbon footprint of a broad range of activities.The book — authored by British professor Mike Berners-Lee — states a pet dog would be responsible for 0.7 tons of carbon emissions each year, the FT reported.However, Berners-Lee did not seem pleased his book was being referenced in relation to the private jet industry, telling the FT and Inisder he was "surprised and disappointed to hear data from my book being used to defend the bogus eco claims made by Luxaviation."Berners-Lee even questioned Hansen's claim that one of his customers produced just 2.1 tons of carbon dioxide annually.He said the number looked "suspiciously low" and "must be for very short flights and very small planes.""The simple reality is that the emissions from luxury private jets are many times higher than for standard commercial flights. Nor is it reasonable to claim the climate damage can be undone by <a href="https://www.insider.com/explainer-going-green-does-offsetting-carbon-emissions-count-2019-11">so-called 'offsetting',"</a> said Berners-Lee."Luxury private jets are a huge carbon indulgence," he added.But despite the environmental concerns, private jets continue to be in demand.Private jets emit at least 10 times more pollutants than commercial planes on a per-passenger basis, according to a <a href="https://ips-dc.org/report-high-flyers-2023/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">May 2023 joint report</a> by the Institute for Policy Studies and Patriotic Millionaires, a group of high-net-worth individuals.Still, private jets are "not going away, because they provide a service of time" to rich people, Hansen said at the FT summit.Demand for private jets has soared since the COVID-19 pandemic as wealthy customers sought to avoid <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/private-jet-ceos-are-preparing-for-post-pandemic-boom-2020-5">crowds, movement restrictions,</a> and then <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wealthy-travelers-escape-summer-flight-chaos-by-renting-private-jets-2022-7">travel chaos.</a>Luxaviation and Berners-Lee did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment sent outside regular business hours.

Your pets produce just as much pollution as private jets, says luxury aviation company boss

Russian President <keyword id="43440" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vladimir-Putin">Vladimir Putin</keyword> on Tuesday extended the national paid leave introduced to contain the spread of COVID-19 to May 11. "We are now facing a new, perhaps the most intense stage in the fight against the epidemic. The risks of getting infected have reached a climax. The threat, the mortal danger of the virus persists, and this can affect everyone," Putin said in a televised address to the nation during his online meeting with the <keyword id="26362" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Government">government</keyword> and regional governors, Xinhua reported. At the meeting, Putin ordered the government to prepare by May 5 a plan for gradual lifting of <keyword id="6413318" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Restrictions">restrictions</keyword> related to the pandemic from May 12. He also ordered the government to prepare a package of measures to support the economy. Non-working days were previously introduced from March 30 to April 30 and regional authorities stopped the work of most enterprises. Currently, most regions have introduced self-isolation or other movement restrictions. People are only allowed to go out to receive medical care, travel to work, shop at the nearest store or pharmacy, or walk a pet. <keyword id="6358826" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Russia">Russia</keyword> on Tuesday reported 6,411 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, with the total number rising to 93,558. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/data-of-coronavirus-patients-state-wise-in-india/articleshow/74669748.cms">Coronavirus cases in India state wise</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/topic/coronavirus">Coronavirus News and Updates</a>

Russian President Putin extends national paid leave till May 11 to contain COVID-19

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/59e2331fd4e920b4108b53a6-2400/rts1g601.jpg" border="0" alt="xi jinping" data-mce-source="Reuters/Jason Lee" />Reuters/Jason LeeChina has been teaching its economic partners how to clamp down on online speech and how to write positive stories about it.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>China has been hosting seminars for foreign countries and journalists on how to clamp down on online speech and writing positive news about China's economic policies, Freedom House reported.</li><li>They include courses on President Xi Jinping's views on patriotism and tours of companies that monitor negative public opinion in the country.</li><li>Many of them catered to countries that are part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, a massive infrastructure project that aims to link 70 countries around the world.</li><li>Those courses appeared to work on some of the countries, who issued laws clamping down on online speech after attending the seminars.</li><li>China has a long record of muzzling free speech in the country.</li><li>It wields a lot of soft power over its economic allies, largely because of its financial investments around the world.</li></ul>China has been holding seminars for foreign countries and journalists on how to restrict online speech and write positive news about it, according to a <a href="https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net/freedom-net-2018/rise-digital-authoritarianism">Freedom House report</a> published this week.The programs - which appear tailored to specific countries and regions - included courses like "socialist journalism with Chinese characteristics" and a class on "the Chinese Dream," Freedom House said.Those two slogans were popularized under President Xi Jinping, and lay out his view of patriotism and innovation as long as it does not defy the Chinese Communist Party.The programs appeared to be marketed to countries involved in China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-belt-and-road-china-infrastructure-project-2018-1">massive infrastructure project launched in 2013</a> that aims to link China to more than 70 countries across Asia, Europe, and Africa.It is one of President Xi Jinping's pet projects, and Beijing has invested between $1 trillion and $8 trillion in those projects since 2013, <a href="https://www.csis.org/analysis/how-big-chinas-belt-and-road">according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies</a>. Multiple BRI partners have racked up billions of dollars in debt because they couldn't afford to repay China's loans on infrastructure projects.Read more: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-belt-and-road-china-infrastructure-project-2018-1">Inside 'Belt and Road,' China's mega-project that is linking 70 countries across Asia, Europe, and Africa</a><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5bd04ecde92e970985445816-2400/2018-10-24t101409z955373654rc1a9170a420rtrmadp3china-security.jpg" border="0" alt="Security China 2018" data-mce-source="Reuters/Thomas Peter" data-mce-caption="A man looks at a demonstration of human motion analysis software at the stall of the artificial intelligence solutions maker Horizon Robotics during the Security China 2018 exhibition on public safety and security in Beijing, China." />Reuters/Thomas PeterA man in Beijing looks at how artificial intelligence is used to analyze human movement.</div></div></div>Here are some of the seminars China hosted over the past year, according to Freedom House.<ul><li>November 2017: A two-week "Seminar on Cyberspace Management for Officials of Countries along the Belt and Road Initiative," where officials toured a company - unnamed in in the report - that monitored, using big data, negative public opinion, and created a "positive energy public-opinion guidance system."</li><li>May 2018: Prominent journalists and <keyword id="6354777" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Media">media</keyword> officials from the Philippines visited China for two weeks to learn about "new media development." What this means exactly is not clear.</li><li>A similar conference for media staff in Thailand taught attendees about the "Chinese Dream" and how media outlets can report domestic and international affairs, including China's economic development. The date of this conference is not clear.</li><li>Representatives from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates also attended a three-week "Seminar for Senior Media Staff in Arab Countries" at an unspecified date.</li></ul>Details about what actually happens during those seminars are scant. But <a href="http://english.mofcom.gov.cn/article/newsrelease/counselorsoffice/bilateralexchanges/201709/20170902642591.shtml">pictures published</a> by the Chinese ministry of commerce of a seminar on the "promotion of international cooperation," held last August for 43 officials from BRI countries, showed delegates attending a lecture by Chinese officials and receiving a "graduation certificate" at the end.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5a70771e59d43251028b4889-1200/one belt one road land sea routes.png" border="0" alt="one belt one road land sea routes" data-mce-source="Reuters" data-mce-caption="Map showing the projects subsumed under One Belt, One Road program by China. (March 2017)" />ReutersThis map shows the projects subsumed under the Belt and Road Initiative as of March 2017.</div></div></div><h2>China flexes its soft power</h2>Those seminars appeared to work on the foreign countries.After Vietnamese officials attended China's seminar on media management in April 2017, it introduced a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vietnam-socialmedia/vietnam-lawmakers-approve-cyber-law-clamping-down-on-tech-firms-dissent-idUSKBN1J80AE">cybersecurity law</a> that ordered global tech companies - such as Google and Facebook - to store personal data of users in Vietnam in the country.Uganda and Tanzania also introduced similar laws clamping down on online media dissemination after their officials attended China's seminars over the past year, Freedom House said.It echoed <a href="https://jsis.washington.edu/news/chinese-data-localization-law-comprehensive-ambiguous/">existing cybersecurity laws</a> in China, which order tech companies to store personal and financial data collected in the country within its borders.Chinese authorities have <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/china-likely-laid-out-how-google-can-help-persecute-uighur-minority-2018-10">previously demanded</a> domestic tech companies to hand over user data and the contents of private conversations.Earlier this year, the Ministry of Public Security <a href="https://www.whatsonweibo.com/welcome-wechat-anything-say-may-used-court-law/">announced</a> that law-enforcement officers could obtain and use private conversations on popular messaging app WeChat in legal proceedings.Read more: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-china-deals-with-dissent-threats-family-arrests-2018-8">Barging into your home, threatening your family, or making you disappear: Here's what China does to people who speak out against</a><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-china-deals-with-dissent-threats-family-arrests-2018-8"> them</a><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5bdc7da61011426a88359026-1200/xi jinping.jpg" border="0" alt="xi jinping" data-mce-source="Fred Dufour/Getty" data-mce-caption="Xi Jinping in Beijing in June 2017." />Fred Dufour/GettyXi in Beijing in June 2017.</div></div></div>Beijing has repeatedly proven the strength of its soft power, much of which stems from its immense economic power around the world.Taiwan also claims that China uses economic partnerships to <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/ap-el-salvador-taiwan-break-ties-further-isolating-asian-isle-2018-8-2">pressure countries to cut off diplomatic ties with it</a>. Beijing insists that Taiwan is part of China, while Taipei recognizes itself as an independent nation.Australia's former foreign minister, Julie Bishop, also <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-soft-power-in-australia-examples-taiwan-trade-deal-2018-10">revealed earlier this week</a> that Australia did not strike a trade deal with Taiwan because her counterpart Wang Yi simply told her not to. China is Australia's largest trading partner, top export market, and biggest import source.China also clamps down on online speech and thought within the country. Law-enforcement authorities have muzzled free speech in the past by <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-china-propaganda-department-glosses-over-human-rights-2018-6">censoring posts and forcefully disappearing people</a> seen to speak out against the regime.It also <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-social-credit-system-punishments-and-rewards-explained-2018-4">ranks citizens' behavior on a social credit system</a>, which doles out punishments and rewards depending on the individual's score. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-nfl-league-usfl-sued-tweet-three-dollars-2017-9">Trump once won a lawsuit against the NFL - but the result was an embarrassment</a></h3> <div> <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/vlMvpjcK-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script> </div> </div>

China gave foreign countries and journalists seminars on how to restrict online speech and unflattering news reports

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A top official said <keyword id="11904256" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="zimbabwe" source="Orion">Zimbabwe</keyword> is looking to allow cryptocurrency as legal payment, according to a local report Sunday.</li><li>The government is talking to businesses for their views as it tries to develop policies around <keyword id="11893898" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="crypto" source="Orion">crypto</keyword>.</li><li>Zimbabwe's finance minister recently said crypto is unstoppable, and adoption in Africa has soared 1,200% in the last year.</li></ul>The Zimbabwean government is looking into how <keyword id="11895317" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="cryptocurrencies" source="Orion">cryptocurrencies</keyword> could be used in legal payment services, a top official has said, according to a local news report.It has begun gathering views from businesses and will talk to citizens as part of its research, retired Brigadier Colonel Charles Wekwete said Saturday at a Computer Society of Zimbabwe summit.Wekwete, a permanent secretary and head of the e-government technology unit, said authorities around the world are still trying to develop policies for crypto assets. But the implications of adopting digital currency are still not clear.This is in part because crypto assets are a "fundamental departure from previously known financial instruments," he noted. There are also a lot of concerns around the cross-border movement of funds, Wekwete said. Money laundering and illicit flow of funds are among the factors that have spurred Zimbabwean regulators, along with many others around the world, to think carefully about opening up to crypto. "So government has put in place mechanism to try and gather views from various sectors of society in order to eventually formulate policies," he said."Sooner or later, (the) government will make statements, but we have not gotten there yet. The consultative process is already underway," he added.<keyword id="11921655" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="crypto-adoption" source="Orion">Crypto adoption</keyword> in Africa surged 1,200% in the 12 months to September, <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/crypto-adoption-africa-surged-1200-avoided-banks-exchanges-chainalysis-2021-9">according</a> to Chainalysis. It is the third-fastest growing crypto economy in the world, as people favour the digital coins because they help them avoid bank and exchange restrictions.Zimbabwe ranked 61st for crypto adoption, the Chainalysis 2021 report found. In 2016, the country's central bank told institutions to halt processing of transactions in digital currencies, citing the risks around illicit activity.But in late October, Zimbabwe's finance minister Mthuli Ncube said crypto was "unstoppable," noting 30% of the country's youth had invested in digital assets, the <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/minister-signals-soft-stance-towards-crypto-currencies/">Herald</a> reported. But he also said regulation was essential, and he noted the country was working with investors to develop crypto-based exchange-traded funds.The developments come after El Salvador, another developing nation, adopted bitcoin as legal tender in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/el-salvador-makes-bitcoin-legal-tender-2021-9?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">September</a> with the hope of bettering its economy. El Salvador's president Nayib Bukele <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/el-salvador-bitcoin-schools-president-nayib-bukele-profits-build-2021-11">announced</a> last week that its bitcoin profits were helping develop a pet veterinarian and would help build 20 schools. Wekwete could not be reached for comment when contacted by Insider.

Zimbabwe is looking at adopting cryptocurrency as legal payment, top government official says

Nicosia, Apr 6 (AFP) Pet dogs have more freedom than children under strict social distancing restrictions Cyprus has enforced to stem the coronavirus pandemic, a public sector trade union said on Monday.The Isotita (Equality) trade union made the complaint in a statement urging the commissioner of children's rights to ensure that during the pandemic "children at least acquire the same rights as pets".Under tighter restrictions on free movement, Cypriots are allowed out of the house only once a day to go shop for essential things such as food or to exercise.A text message has to be sent to the authorities to request approval for the journey and must include an ID and postal code, and only two people can be seen out on the streets together at any given time.Such approval, however, is not required if going to the chemist, giving blood, transporting the armed forces or helping vulnerable groups but documentation is needed.Nor is it necessary for walking the dog, which can be taken out as many times as necessary.The union claims that children are treated as second class citizens and that parents must face the dilemma of choosing between venturing out for essential items or talking a child for a walk.In such a case, it said in a statement, "children are denied the right to exercise and recreation (and this) indirectly affects their health"."If a parent goes to the supermarket...the children are deprived of the right to walk," the union said.It urged authorities not to make parents, especially single parents, choose between buying food and taking their children out to exercise, noting that many live in apartments.Under the measures imposed by Cyprus to stop the coronavirus from spreading, all schools and public spaces such as parks and playgrounds have been closed.Isotita also called on authorities to enable all parents to work from home, noting that some who do not have the necessary equipment have been going to their offices and taking their children along."In the public sector there are many problems with non-compliance to social distancing," the union added.The Republic of Cyprus has recorded 446 cases of coronavirus and nine deaths so far. (AFP) MRJ

Cyprus COVID-19 outcry as dogs, not children allowed out

<ul><li>The <keyword id="6354947" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="bitcoin">Bitcoin</keyword> crash on July 20 mimicked the crash seen on stock market Dow Jones, following concerns around a third wave of COVID-19 infections.</li><li>Bitcoin tumbled to below $30,000 but has since managed to climb back up.</li><li>However, the fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) around cryptocurrencies still remain, leaving the fate of Bitcoin’s value hanging in the balance.</li></ul>The price of Bitcoin saw a massive crash yesterday, and the overall crypto market suffered a massive loss of nearly $200 billion during the collapse. Not only did the world’s oldest <a href="https://wazirx.com/signup?invite=2kpah6gr&amp;utm_source=business-insider&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=microsite" data-type="tilCustomLink">cryptocurrency</a> go for a dive, but other altcoins followed its tail feathers — crashing even more steeply. Binance’s NCN, Cardano, Ripple’s XRP and Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s pet project, <a href="https://wazirx.com/signup?invite=2kpah6gr&amp;utm_source=business-insider&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=microsite" data-type="tilCustomLink">Dogecoin</a>, all recorded double-digit percentage losses. The good news is that the price of the world’s oldest <keyword id="6357017" type="DEFINITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="cryptocurrency">cryptocurrency</keyword> is now back up to above $30,000 and those who were panicking yesterday can breathe a sigh of relief. But, the question still remains where this dip was the first indicator or another 2018 ‘crypto winter’ looking to settle in. <div type="javascript" title="Custom" contenttype="Image"><cdata><![CDATA[<div class="flourish-embed flourish-chart" data-src="visualisation/6786789"><script src="https://public.flourish.studio/resources/embed.js"></script></div>]]></cdata></div> <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="A tumble in the Dow didn’t lead to a jump for crypto" comment="subhead" text="A tumble in the Dow didn’t lead to a jump for crypto">A tumble in the Dow didn’t lead to a jump for crypto</cmsannotation> Unlike last year — when investors took money off the stock markets amid financial uncertainty and put their capital into crypto — the two markets tumbled together this time, amid the fear of a third COVID-19 wave. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 2.1% just one day before the Bitcoin market crash, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/dow-plummets-726-points-for-worst-day-of-2021-as-virus-variants-threaten-global-recovery/articleshow/84569452.cms">the worst since October 2020</a> for the exchange. Most experts have said that the sell-off was because investors feared stock prices would drop if a third wave of COVID-19 infections took hold. “The emergence of this more highly transmissible Delta variant… has brought into question the sustainability of this reopening and the recovery,” Candice Bangsund, a portfolio manager at Fiera Capital, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/global-stock-markets-dow-update-07-19-2021-11626680342">told</a> the Wall Street Journal. The UK peeled back all COVID-19 restrictions earlier this week, while the US has been, slowly but surely, returning to normal too. This sell-off in global markets was imitated in crypto markets, amid fears about the strength of economic recovery. “There's been a broad sell-off in global markets, risk assets are down across the board,” Annabelle Huang, partner at cryptocurrency<a href="https://wazirx.com/signup?invite=2kpah6gr&amp;utm_source=business-insider&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=microsite"></a> financial services firm Amber Group <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/20/bitcoin-btc-falls-below-30000-as-cryptocurrency-market-plunges.html">told</a> CNBC. According to her, the sell-off was a result of “concerns of the quality and strength of economic recovery” and “broader risk assets turned weaker including high yields”. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Bitcoin’s stock-to-flow model invalidated" comment="subhead" text="Bitcoin’s stock-to-flow model invalidated">Bitcoin’s stock-to-flow model invalidated</cmsannotation> As <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/stock-to-flow-model-possibly-invalidated-as-bitcoin-price-loses-30k?utm_source=Telegram&amp;utm_medium=social">reported</a> by Cointelegraph, the popular stock-to-flow model, which has so far been used to price Bitcoin, was “farthest from its estimates” after the drop. The model was coined by an unnamed Dutch investor, known only as Plan B, and has been the go-to technique for pricing Bitcoins since 2019. The model uses Bitcoin’s scarcity — the fact that there will only be 21 million Bitcoins ever on the network — to price the token in a manner similar to gold, silver and other commodities. The stock-to-flow model says that the token should be priced at $88,531 right now, while the market says it’s worth 50% less than that. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Was Bitcoin’s fall the first of many dominos?" comment="subhead" text="Was Bitcoin’s fall the first of many dominos?">Was Bitcoin’s fall the first of many dominos?</cmsannotation> The crash was not as massive as the halving event witnessed earlier this year, which brought Bitcoin’s value down from over $60,000 to its currency $30,000 threshold. However, it was big enough to worry or excite investors waiting on Bitcoin to make some kind of movement over the last few weeks. The cryptocurrency has been stable between the $30,000 to $33,000 price band since the beginning of July. And, everyone wants to bet on which direction it’s heading in next. Some speculate that it could fall to as low as $10,000, which would wipe out all gains that investors have witnessed since October 2020. Others are hoping for a modest pause at around $23,300, which is where Bitcoin was paused at Christmas last year before its massive rally to over $60,000 in the following months. The uncertainty around where regulation is headed continues to plague and cast doubt on the future of Bitcoin. Even though it hasn’t been able to move higher, analysts and enthusiasts are hoping it won’t fall any further. <a href="https://forum.businessinsider.in/">For a more in-depth discussion, come on over to Business Insider Cryptosphere</a> — a forum where users can deep dive into all things crypto, engage in interesting discussions and stay ahead of the curve. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/a-new-nft-platform-by-an-iit-bombay-graduate-wants-everyone-to-be-able-to-set-up-their-own-shop-online/articleshow/84610361.cms">A new NFT platform by an IIT Bombay graduate wants everyone to be able to set up their own shop online</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/dogecoin-jumps-10-after-elon-musks-twitter-profile-picture-change/articleshow/84544778.cms">Dogecoin jumps 10% after Elon Musk’s Twitter profile picture change</a>

Bitcoin crashed to below $30,000 and managed to recover — but FUD still shadows the market

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The best dog harnesses are ones that make walks and other adventures with your dog easy while keeping them comfortable, secure, and pain-free. </li><li>As a professional dog trainer who has tested harnesses on hundreds of dogs, I've found different harnesses work best for dogs of different sizes, needs, and abilities.</li><li>For leash pulling, for example, a no-pull harness with a front clip is likely your best bet, whereas small dogs often benefit from a vest-style harness.</li><li>Our pick for the best dog harness overall is the <a href="https://prf.hn/click/camref:1011l4Nww/adref:biipgf_022318_best-dog-harnesses/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.chewy.com%2Fpetsafe-3-in-1-dog-harness-teal%2Fdp%2F148608%3F" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">PetSafe 3-in-1 Harness</a>. It's a versatile, affordable harness that fits well without restricting movement.</li></ul>Of all the commitments you made to your dog when you agreed to be their guardian, daily walks are among the most important. Walks aren't just essential to your dog's physical and mental health; for most, it's the only opportunity they have to explore their world.For us humans, though, walks can be among the more complicated tasks our dogs require of us. Just figuring out what equipment to use is a challenge. Harnesses, as opposed to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-dog-collar" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">collars</a>, are the best option for walking a dog safely and comfortably. Walking a dog on even the softest collar can cause choking and poses even greater risks."As a general rule, I don't like anything that puts too much pressure on the neck," Dr. Carlo Siracusa, DVM, associate professor of clinical animal behavior and welfare at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, told Insider Picks. "Pressure to the neck can cause problems to the trachea and to the bone structure of the neck, itself." <a href="http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/study-shows-collar-stress-can-heighten-glaucoma-risk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Studies</a> even suggest that too much pressure on the neck can cause eye problems, including glaucoma.Selecting which harness to use isn't simple, though. A style that works well on a 4-pound apple-headed Chihuahua may be a terrible fit for a long-legged, barrel-chested Great Dane. Nor does finding the right harness depend solely on fit. The best harness for your dog is the one that makes walks and other adventures easy while keeping them comfortable, secure, and pain-free. Dogs that pull on leash, for example, need something different than older or injured dogs with limited mobility. <h3>Dog harnesses generally fall into three major categories:</h3><ul><li>Front clip: Harnesses that clip to a leash at the front of the chest are anti-pull. They slow your dog down by putting your control ahead of them instead of at their back. </li><li>Back clip: Harnesses that clip to a leash at the back are for dogs that don't pull, no matter whether they're super-active or couch potato. </li><li>Front and back clip: These harnesses have both options, providing versatility for dogs and people whose needs change over time.</li></ul>As a certified professional dog trainer, I have 10 years of experience testing harnesses on hundreds of dogs of all types - from tiny floofs to big bruisers, from the most reserved to the overly friendly.After consulting with other dog professionals, including Erika Slovikoski, a certified professional dog trainer with more than a decade of experience, and Michelle Sanchez, a pet care provider, rescue maven, and member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, I've narrowed down a crowded field of more than two dozen options to find the six best harnesses for dogs of different sizes, needs, and abilities.<h2>Here are the best dog harnesses you can buy:</h2><ul class="summary-list"><li>Best dog harness overall: <a href="https://prf.hn/click/camref:1011l4Nww/adref:biipgf_022318_best-dog-harnesses/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.chewy.com%2Fpetsafe-3-in-1-dog-harness-teal%2Fdp%2F148608%3F" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">PetSafe 3-in-1 Harness</a></li><li>Best harness for small dogs: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005CTGBMK/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biipgf_022318_best-dog-harnesses-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B005CTGBMK&amp;linkId=624adacf2aea2dc362ddf63cba17ac39" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Puppia RiteFit Harness</a></li><li>Best harness for large dogs: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00164SZMO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biipgf_022318_best-dog-harnesses-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B00164SZMO&amp;linkId=7b062aed7f9b480e4ebb49ad48774a9c" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Kurgo Tru-Fit Smart Dog Harness</a></li><li>Best harness for dogs that pull: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07S5CRHXM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biipgf_022318_best-dog-harnesses-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07S5CRHXM&amp;linkId=ad8132719a516331dc4f7874f78be5fb" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Blue-9 Pet Products Balance Harness</a></li><li>Best harness for active dogs: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P43BKXW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biipgf_022318_best-dog-harnesses-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B07P43BKXW&amp;linkId=293f0e0d440df06fa7e235fcbf91d84a" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Hurtta Weekend Warrior Harness</a></li><li>Best harness for injured or senior dogs: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N10H776/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=biipgf_022318_best-dog-harnesses-20&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=B01N10H776&amp;linkId=99292fff92ce8bb863a321a8d77673bb" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Ruffwear Web Master Harness</a></li></ul>Updated 1/07/2020 by Shoshi Parks: Updated categories, products, and text.<a href="http://e.businessinsider.com/join/ci/insider-picks">Subscribe to our newsletter.</a> Find all the best offers at our <a href="https://coupons.businessinsider.com/">Coupons page</a>. Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/insiderpicks">Insider Picks</a> team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.

The best dog harnesses, according to professional dog trainers

<ul class="summary-list"><li>After months of not touching another human due to restrictions imposed during the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/coronavirus">novel coronavirus</a> pandemic, some people are experiencing intense "skin hunger." </li><li>The term describes the physical and mental-health consequences caused by a lack of human touch, including higher <keyword id="23666" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="stress">stress</keyword> levels, a weakened immune system, and poor sleep. </li><li>While nothing can completely replace the primal need for touch, some strategies can tide you over, including petting animals and even hugging a pillow. </li></ul>Brie Juran hasn't touched another human being in more than 12 weeks.She <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-its-like-to-get-covid-19-when-living-alone-2020-5">lives alone</a> in Cincinnati, Ohio, and has taken physical distancing seriously because she has an underlying <keyword id="6354750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="health">health</keyword> condition and can do her work, for a career services nonprofit, from home. She hasn't seen, let alone kissed, her boyfriend, who's more than three hours away in Toledo. They've considered meeting up in a park, but the thought of having him close without touching is more painful than not seeing him. Nor has she hugged her parents, who live nearby.But it wasn't until her mom — aching to give Juran a hug — offered to do so with a sheet in between them that Juran, who declined the offer, realized the toll the touch-less months had taken on her health. "Since she said that, it's been on my mind a lot in terms of really missing connecting with my loved ones in that way," Juran told Insider. "There's just something about a good hug that I feel provides comfort in a way that nothing else can." She's right: While technology and <a href="https://www.insider.com/what-activities-can-you-can-do-with-friends-safely-coronavirus-2020-6">six-feet-apart gatherings</a> can help help make physically isolated people feel less lonely or even more socially connected than before, neuroscientists and psychologists know they can't replace the primal need for human touch. "We benefit by hearing 'I love you' or a smile or interacting with people in non-tactile ways ... but when we have the ability to be in physical contact, to touch, hold hands, hug, kiss — that's another whole category of mental and physical health benefits such that everything else we do is an imperfect substitute," <a href="https://comm.arizona.edu/user/kory-floyd">Kory Floyd,</a> a communications professor at the University of Arizona who studies how affection impacts stress and physiological functioning, told Insider. But while the distress of what some call "skin hunger" is very real, there are some tactics experts say can help manage the craving for hands-on human connection until it's safe to touch again. <h2>The need to touch others makes us human </h2>If we're not touched as babies, we die."When we're born, we're 100% dependent on a caregiver to clothe us, feed us, bathe us, to hold us and comfort us, and all of those activities require touch," Floyd said. If we're not touched enough as babies, our bodies grow too slowly, our brains don't fully develop, and our immune systems aren't robust. We never grow out of our need to be touched by others, either. Research finds it signals safety, soothes, relieves cardiovascular stress, makes us more compassionate, and activates "the love hormone" oxytocin, Dacher Keltner, a <keyword id="6363047" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="psychology">psychology</keyword> professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and founding director of the Greater Good <keyword id="41551" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="science">Science</keyword> Center, wrote in the center's <a href="https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/hands_on_research">magazine</a>. Research has shown it can also be an effective complementary therapy for everything from Alzheimer's disease to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4860206/">cancer</a> to post-traumatic stress disorder. <div type="image" title="Holly Balcom, 54, hugs her daughter Kelsea Mensh, 22, as they reunite at their home in Dumfries, Va., Wednesday, April 1, 2020, after Mensh, who had served a year in the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic, finished her 2 week quarantine period. After evacuating her from her post, the Peace Corps put Mensh up in a hotel in her hometown to self-isolate so that she wouldn't cause any risk to her mother, who is a cancer survivor and has viral induced asthma. Though she is grateful to have been evacuated, &quot;I didn't get to say goodbye,&quot; says Mensh, who is very worried about the community she had to leave in the Dominican Republic, &quot;I told my mother that in tears and we both started to cry. She said, 'I didn't get to say goodbye to the children here either.'&quot; Balcom is a fourth grade teacher. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)" height="4268" width="6402" msid="76285080" hostid="261"></div>All that to say: If touching others has such remarkable power to keep us mentally, emotionally, and physically healthy, the absence of it can be equally negatively impactful. Cue skin hunger. "When we feel alone, when we lack the ability to interact with people in familiar and comforting ways, we feel vulnerable, and we feel under threat and under attack," Floyd said. As a result, we become "hyper-vigilant," which <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-cope-with-coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-psychologist-2020-2">elevates our general stress</a>, disrupts our sleep, and suppresses our immune system, he said — all particularly damaging effects these days. "Especially for people who felt lonely anyway, then to go through self-isolation and the threat of the virus itself, and then to go through all the stress and associated with racial tensions, not to mention stress and threat that people are feeling financially," Floyd said, the added consequences of not touching only makes things worse. <h2>You can manage skin hunger with several techniques</h2>Everyone's touch needs aren't the same, and past experiences, especially traumatic ones, can affect how much and what kinds of human touch feel good and bad to you. But like like sleep, "no one needs zero," Floyd said.If zero is what you're getting these days, though, there are ways to tide you over until you feel safe enough to go in for an embrace. Floyd <a href="https://www.insider.com/animal-shelters-encouraging-people-to-foster-pet-during-coronavirus-outbreak-2020-3">recommends petting dogs or cats</a>, whether your own or a neighbor's. Not only can the experience lower blood pressure and stress hormones, it has similar benefits to the animal, he said. Even hugging a pillow can bring on the warm fuzzies both from the pressure against your skin, which mimics touch from another person or pet, and the action you're taking, which your brain still interprets as an embrace. "There are some benefits of just going through the motion," Floyd said. <div type="image" title="mental health depression muscle tension anxiety stress disorder ADD panic OCD mood trauma sad tired cox 29" height="1666" width="2500" msid="76285084" hostid="261"></div>Self-touch or massage can be helpful, too. Some research shows touching your shoulder or rubbing your hands and feet can have many of the same pain-alleviating benefits as if someone else did it, Floyd said. Eric Kussin, founder of the #SameHere <keyword id="6354774" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Mental-health">mental health</keyword> movement "<a href="https://samehereglobal.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">We're All a Little 'Crazy,'"</a> who lives alone in New York City and hasn't touched anyone since early-mid March, recommends one particular self-touch method called self-Havening.It involves crossing your arms and rubbing your hands up and down your upper arms while saying words related to experiences you've had that bother you. (People who have particularly traumatic memories, though, are encouraged to use the therapist-guided form of the technique, which <a href="https://www.insider.com/justin-bieber-talks-about-addiction-to-weed-lean-pills-2020-2">Justin Bieber has praised in his YouTube documentary "Seasons"</a> as a way to manage stress.)Kussin is also aware of how a lack of touch affects others from a communication standpoint. He can't put his hand on a friend's shoulder or illustrate compassion through body language as clearly, so he takes extra care to show and tell people how he feels about them through words and visible-on-Zoom mannerisms. If more people do that, perhaps we can emerge from the pandemic a less guarded and more emotionally open society, he hopes. "The need is there," Kussin told Insider. "You can take an adverse experience and turn it into a positive."

People are experiencing 'skin hunger' after months without touching anyone

<ul class="summary-list"><li>From "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" to the remake of "Pet Semetary," recent <keyword id="6358680" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Horror">horror</keyword> <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/movies">films</a> have gone great lengths to scare viewers.</li><li>"<a href="https://www.insider.com/category/the-invisible-man">The Invisible Man</a>" employed a performer in a green suit to throw <keyword id="653472" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Elisabeth-Moss">Elisabeth Moss</keyword>' character across a table while special cameras captured the terrifying movements of a monster the audience can't actually see.</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/category/jordan-peele">Jordan Peele's</a> "Us" used facial replacement CGI to allow Lupita Nyong'o and the rest of the cast to act alongside their doppelgängers.</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>Following is a transcript of the <keyword id="21654" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="video">video</keyword>.Narrator: From stuntmen in green suits to jaw-dropping makeup effects, recent horror films have gone great lengths to scare viewers. But this innovation and technology aren't always visible on the big screen. So take a peek at what eight horror movies looked like behind the scenes.This update to the 1933 classic found that the scariest things are what we cannot see. A stuntman in a green suit often stood in for the character on set. That came in handy for sequences like this, where Elizabeth Moss' character was thrown across a table. Moss' stunt double was attached to a rope, then the stunt performer in the green suit threw her across the table. The green-suited performer was erased later.Meanwhile, for a scene in which actor Aldis Hodge had to fight the invisible villain, the actor fought himself instead. For some of the more action-packed moments, a motion-control camera helped follow <keyword id="920693" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="the-Invisible-Man">the invisible man</keyword>'s every move."Us" went well beyond the classic split-screen technique seen in twin movies of the past to create the Untethered, who were the main character's doppelgängers. Legendary visual effects studio Industrial Light &amp; Magic did extensive facial-replacement work. This sometimes involved using pieces of an actor's face and selectively swapping and combining them with parts of their double's body.According to VFX supervisor Grady Cofer, knowing who the hero, or the character controlling the action of a shot was, was the key to figuring out which parts of a given shot needed to be swapped and grafted in postproduction. This feat was just as challenging for the cast, who had to perform each scene with both them and their doubles twice.Meanwhile, to get this creepy shot of a young Adelaide being choked by her Untethered in the hall of mirrors, actress Madison Curry acted next to a cup on a stick, which was wrapped in green so it could be replaced with her double.For this creature feature, the crew built an intricate flooded basement set in Serbia. The set was built to scale, and both actors and crew members actually had to crawl around to navigate it. The gators were almost completely CGI. According to director Alex Aja, it would have been unfeasible to capture the movement, speed, and viciousness of these animals with classic animatronics. Aja also said that when using animatronics, he would have had to restrict how he shot the film because of how these puppets are operated. As pointed out by Bloody Disgusting, he would have had to shoot from angles that hid the puppeteers.The smash hit's greatest thrills and scares relied heavily on sound, or, as the title suggests, the lack thereof. The film's sound team, consisting of Brandon Jones, Ethan Van der Ryn, and Erik Aadahl, had to get really creative for the film's monsters.Crab legs were used to capture their crackling footsteps. A combination of celery and lettuce was used for when a monster's ear would open wide. But nothing tops how they created the echolocation noises. The team used a stun gun and shocked a patch of grapes. After recording that sound, they edited it... and slowed it down so you could hear each individual click.Special effects studio Spectral Motion created some of the most eye-popping monster makeup and costumes in recent history. Instead of using puppets, they used real actors to portray the film's monsters. Each monster was designed directly based on the minimal illustrations from the book. Famed creature performer Javier Botet starred as the toeless corpse. Botet's distinct physical characteristics informed the character.Then there was Troy James, who gained fame as a contortionist in "America's Got Talent." He was perfect for all the bending and twisting required to play the Jangly Man. Even with all of the elaborate makeup, they of course needed a few CGI touches. For instance, when a character had a missing body part, that part of their body had to be covered in green.For this remake of the Stephen King classic, animal trainer Melissa Millett and animal coordinator Kirk Jarrett had to train two cats, a live cat and an undead cat. A cat named Tonic was tasked with playing the living version of Church, as he was much more active and outgoing. Meanwhile, the older and calmer Leo played the undead version of the same cat. The two cats didn't look exactly alike, so they added some brown dye, which was safe for pets, to Tonic's fur so he would look identical to Leo.Cats are one of the hardest animals to train for movies. One technique they used was targeting, which involves treats and a clicker. They would lure the cats to an object or area with a marker on it. Once they got there, they would hear [click] and get a treat.Millett: Yay!Narrator: They would then move the marker farther and farther away. During filming, Millett and Jarrett made sure the cats were acclimated to the set, as even the smallest factors, like temperature, can impact a cat's performance. The cats stayed close to the set and took walks in the woods, so they could get used to the environment.And what about Church's bloody post-accident look? Well, Leo got his hair ruffled up and got covered with fake edible blood. And how do you make a cat give a frightening hiss? A snake toy can elicit the right response. Luckily, Leo was a natural hisser.Part horror film, part black comedy, "Ready or Not" follows a new bride engaged in a deadly game of hide-and-seek. Throughout the film, actress Samara Weaving's dress goes through many stages of transformation, setting up quite the challenge for costume designer Avery Plewes. Plewes designed 24 wedding dresses. 17 were worn by Weaving, and seven by her stunt double.The dress was actually five separate pieces that could be swapped in and out, and Plewes used an easily tearable fabric that was pre-rigged for the scene where Weaving's character rips her dress. Lace was chosen for the top of the dress because of the way blood would look on it.The remake of the 1988 classic used old-fashioned animatronics to bring the terrifying doll Chucky back to the big screen. Jason Ward and the special effects wizards at MastersFX put together six different Chucky dolls for the film.The inside structure of a given doll was filled with robotic pieces moving the figure around encased in a plastic exoskeleton, then covered in a foam latex skin. While mostly practical, some parts of it were enhanced with CGI, like the eyes, for example. It took three to four puppeteers to operate Chucky. He also had interchangeable hands, allowing the doll to pick objects up, like this knife.What are some of your recent favorite horror movies? Let us know in the comments.Read the original article on <a href="https://www.insider.com/8-horror-movies-behind-the-scenes-2020-4">Insider</a>

What 8 horror movies looked like behind the scenes

Welcome back to <a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/10-things-in-politics">10 Things in Politics</a>. <a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/10-things-in-politics">Sign up here to receive this newsletter</a>. Plus, download Insider's app for news on the go - click <a href="https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id554260576">here for iOS</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.freerange360.mpp.businessinsider">here for Android</a>. Send tips to <a href="mailto:bgriffiths@insider.com">bgriffiths@insider.com</a> or tweet me at <a href="https://twitter.com/BrentGriffiths">@BrentGriffiths</a>.Here's what we're talking about:<ul><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mcconnell-vote-default-debt-ceiling-government-funding-shutdown-pelosi-schumer-2021-9">Mitch McConnell says GOP will vote for US to default on its debt</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/canadian-prime-minister-justin-trudeau-projected-win-without-majority-2021-9">Justin Trudeau projected to remain prime minister of Canada</a></li><li><a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-mexico-texas-caribbean-immigration-56f1f0093039e2a43e128b7ef0015485">DHS investigating 'extremely troubling' images of border agents on horseback chasing migrants</a></li></ul>With Phil Rosen.<hr />1. SHOWDOWN ON CAPITOL HILL: The White House and congressional Democrats are playing hardball. With two key deadlines looming, top leaders say they will combine legislation that would avoid a government shutdown next month and suspension of the debt limit, the latter of which would avoid the federal government defaulting on its bills. Their move essentially dares Republicans to vote to tank the US economy by blocking the forthcoming bill. For now, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mcconnell-vote-default-debt-ceiling-government-funding-shutdown-pelosi-schumer-2021-9">Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell isn't backing down</a>.Here's a look at where things stand:Top Republicans have long warned they won't raise the debt ceiling: McConnell repeated his opposition to such a move - which amounts to allowing the government to pay its existing bills - even if it meant shutting down the government. He has called for Democrats to raise the debt ceiling on their own through a special budget process. But Democrats don't want to do that, per The Washington Post, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/09/20/congress-shutdown-debt-ceiling-biden/">because it would require taking a politically difficult vote</a>.<ul><li>Democrats say this is hypocrisy: They note that the national debt grew nearly $8 trillion under President Donald Trump - chiefly on the back of GOP tax cuts and bipartisan emergency coronavirus-related spending packages. Republicans supported raising the debt ceiling three times during the Trump administration.</li></ul>Time is running out: The government is expected to run out of money October 1. It's more difficult to predict when the government would default on its debt, but Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has told lawmakers that time-buying measures her department had taken would run out in early October as well.<ul><li>Yes, you've seen this movie before: President Joe Biden and McConnell played major parts in it too. Spurred on by the tea-party movement, Republicans sought to use raising the debt ceiling as a political cudgel against the Obama White House in 2011. The two sides eventually reached <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/09/20/white-house-debt-ceiling/">a deal that liberals continue to loathe</a>, but the process of going to the brink came at the cost of <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/sandp-considering-first-downgrade-of-us-credit-rating/2011/08/05/gIQAqKeIxI_story.html">an embarrassing credit downgrade</a>.</li></ul><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mcconnell-vote-default-debt-ceiling-government-funding-shutdown-pelosi-schumer-2021-9?_ga=2.46683111.1737390100.1632101347-1311350499.1611066322">Read more about where things stand as deadlines loom for lawmakers.</a><hr />2. Legal experts are poking holes in a Trump-era special prosecutor's case against a Clinton campaign lawyer: The special counsel John Durham's indictment of Michael Sussmann, a cybersecurity lawyer at a firm with deep Democratic ties, marked his first overt sign of activity in months. Legal experts aren't impressed. They see the case against Sussmann as unusually - even remarkably - thin. It's likely to face significant hurdles at trial. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/post/preview?post_id=614918dd6ba5902ce8578e85&amp;mode=desktopktop">One of the issues is that the charge rests on the testimony of a single witness</a>.<hr /><div type="image" title="Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (R), his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau and their children Xavier (L-R), Ella-Grace and Hadrien waves to supporters while boarding his campaign bus on August 15, 2021 in Ottawa, Canada." height="2984" width="4500" msid="86395480" hostid="261"></div>3. Justin Trudeau is expected to remain prime minister: Trudeau's decision to force a Canadian snap election is projected to yield mixed results, handing the prime minister a third term but without his party retaking a majority in Parliament. Some said Trudeau's decision to call a federal election early was a bid to retake the majority. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/canadian-prime-minister-justin-trudeau-projected-win-without-majority-2021-9">More on the Canadian election results</a>.<hr />4. DHS says it's investigating "extremely troubling" images at the border: Federal officials pledged to formally look into photos and videos of agents on horses pushing back against migrants at the US-Mexico border, the Associated Press reports. Amid concerns that some of the agents appeared to be brandishing whips, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters the straps were long reins to help control the agents' horses. The White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, called the footage "horrific." <a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-mexico-texas-caribbean-immigration-56f1f0093039e2a43e128b7ef0015485">Top officials say the US has deported more than 6,000 Haitians and other migrants from a Texas border town, vowing swift action for people who cross the US border illegally</a>.Drone videos show thousands of Haitian migrants trying to enter the US:<a href="https://www.insider.com/video-haitian-migrants-trying-to-enter-us-2021-9"><div type="image" title="Insider video" height="734" width="1308" msid="86395483" hostid="261"></div></a><hr />5. Texas doctor sued in the first major test of the state's abortion ban: An Arkansas man is suing a doctor who recently performed an abortion in Texas after six weeks of pregnancy, an act now considered illegal under a new state law. Dr. Alan Braid of San Antonio wrote an op-ed article in The Washington Post explaining his decision to defy the law. Oscar Stilley, a former lawyer disbarred on charges of tax evasion and conspiracy in 2010, filed the suit after reading a news report about Braid's article. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/man-sued-a-texas-doctor-for-performing-an-abortion-breaking-texas-law-2021-9">​​The lawsuit presents the first publicized legal challenge to Texas' new abortion restrictions</a>.<ul><li>At least one antiabortion group isn't happy: Texas Right to Life, an antiabortion group, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/texas-abortion-doctor-sued/2021/09/20/f5ab5c56-1a1c-11ec-bcb8-0cb135811007_story.html">slammed "self-serving legal stunts</a>," telling The Post that Braid's article was written to gin up lackluster challenges. Stilley told the paper he was not against abortion.</li></ul><hr />6. Pfizer says its shot is safe and likely to be effective for children: The drugmaker and its partner BioNTech said their COVID-19 vaccine generated a promising immune response in a trial in kids ages 5 to 11. The companies said they planned to submit their data to the Food and Drug Administration "as soon as possible." <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-safety-efficacy-younger-children-pediatric-2021-9">That could make their COVID-19 shot the first authorized for use in younger children</a>.<hr />7. More Americans have died of COVID-19 than died in the 1918 flu pandemic: "Despite all the scientific and medical advances of the past 103 years, the Covid-19 pandemic has now killed more Americans than the 1918 flu pandemic did," CNN wrote. The known US death toll from the coronavirus, per Johns Hopkins University, has passed 675,000. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/20/health/us-covid-deaths-surpass-1918-pandemic/index.html">Here are some of the major differences between the pandemics</a>.<hr />8. FBI declares the home of Brian Laundrie's parents a crime scene: Authorities began searching the Florida home of Laundrie's parents just one day after a body believed to be that of Laundrie's fiancée, Gabby Petito, was found. Authorities continue to search for Laundrie, who disappeared in recent days. <a href="https://www.insider.com/live-updates-gabby-petito-disappearance-2021-9">The latest on the case</a>.<ul><li>Related: <a href="https://www.insider.com/gabby-petito-missing-timeline-locations-brian-laundrie-relationship-history-2021-9">Here is a timeline of the road trip that ended in Petito's disappearance</a></li></ul><hr />9. Dow falls over 600 points over China-related worries: Stocks cratered Monday amid fears about the extent of a debt crisis for China's second-largest property developer. Anxiety about congressional action over the debt ceiling didn't help matters either. Evergrande, the Chinese company, is highly leveraged and is facing a $7 billion crunch over the next year. <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/evergrande-stock-market-selloff-what-to-know-debt-crisis-china-2021-9?utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingestgest">Here's everything you need to know about why Wall Street is worried about a Chinese real-estate company</a>.<hr /><a href="https://www.insider.com/tiktok-logo-redesign-nascar-tinder-washington-post-2021-9"><div type="image" title="Emily Zugay." height="1290" width="1721" msid="86395485" hostid="261"></div></a>10. Major brands and companies are embracing a TikTok creator's mock logos: Emily Zugay, a 24-year-old pet-portrait artist from southeastern Wisconsin, told Insider in an email that she used Adobe Illustrator to make "repulsive but believable" designs so that "even folks who don't know basic design principles would know that they are downright awful." <a href="https://www.insider.com/tiktok-logo-redesign-nascar-tinder-washington-post-2021-9">Take a look at the designs used by TikTok, NASCAR, Tinder, and Tampax</a>.<hr />Today's trivia question: Benedict Arnold committed treason on this day in 1780. Before his treachery, he played a major role in the American Revolution's turning point. There's even a monument dedicated to his service during the Battles of Saratoga, though it does not directly name him. What does the monument depict? Email your guess and a suggested question to me at <a href="mailto:bgriffiths@insider.com">bgriffiths@insider.com</a>.<ul><li>Yesterday's answer: <a href="https://www.nps.gov/bost/learn/historyculture/ussconst.htm">The USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned ship in the US Navy</a> - that's because naval officers and crew members still serve aboard the vessel first launched in 1797. Six ships were commissioned largely because of French aggression that <a href="https://ussconstitutionmuseum.org/major-events/the-quasi-war-with-france/">led to the Quasi-War</a>.</li></ul>

10 Things in Politics: Showdown looms to keep the government open

Hello, everyone! Welcome to the next edition of <keyword id="9095853" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="insider-today">Insider Today</keyword>. Please sign up<a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/insider-today"> here</a>.As a reminder, this is "Insider in your inbox," an email publication that David Plotz and I are writing with the help of many of our excellent journalists. Our goal is to provide you with insight, analysis, and some of the big stories of the day.Thanks as always for reading. Please feel free to reply to this email and tell us what you like or don't like, and we'll evolve and improve as we go. —Henry Blodget (henry@insider.com) and David Plotz (david@insider.com)SUMMARY: Four months later, the US <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> response is still one of the worst in the world. How to follow this bizarre presidential campaign. That armed protest in Michigan makes the "reopen" movement look thuggish and dumb. Turns out, "Groundhog Day" is a horror movie. The most popular stories on Insider this morning...<h3>A few months in, the US coronavirus response is still one of the worst in the world</h3>Back in January, the United States and <keyword id="5565" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="South-Korea">South Korea</keyword> each identified <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-testing-specialrep/special-report-how-korea-trounced-u-s-in-race-to-test-people-for-coronavirus-idUSKBN2153BW">their first confirmed coronavirus case on the same day</a>. South Korea responded immediately and competently, by testing, tracing, and isolating cases and getting ahead of the epidemic.The United States, meanwhile, initially denied that the virus was a threat, blew its first attempt to roll out tests, and then never marshaled the strong federal response that could have slowed the outbreak before it really got rolling.Three months later, here's where things stand.South Korea is close to exterminating the virus:<div type="image" title="daily covid cases south korea v2" height="1250" width="1667" msid="75497553" hostid="261"></div>The US has, finally, after about six weeks of half-hearted lockdowns, "flattened the curve." But the US is still confirming about 30,000 cases a day — with the true number of cases likely far higher. The US is behind where it needs to be on testing and tracing capacity and lacks a clear strategy for isolating cases and protecting the most vulnerable. <div type="image" title="daily US covid cases" height="1250" width="1667" msid="75497554" hostid="261"></div>The tragic result of the US's poor response is the highest number of fatalities in the world. More than 63,000 Americans have died, and counting. As a chart of "deaths per million" shows, the US has company in this grim statistic: The UK, Spain, Italy, and other countries were similarly blindsided and slow to react. But a glance at South Korea shows what could have been.<div type="image" title="covid 19 deaths per capita country comparison v2" height="1292" width="1667" msid="75497555" hostid="261"></div>So, what's the outlook from here?As pressure and frustration about lockdowns build, the US is starting to reopen. The frustration is understandable: The pandemic has clobbered our economy and upended our lives. But without a strong testing-tasting-and-isolation response—or a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sweden-lockdown-approach-example-for-us-2020-4">more sophisticated and optimized set of restrictions</a>—"shelter-in-place" lockdowns have been our most effective tactic. Most experts think the reopening move is premature and will likely lead to a reacceleration of outbreaks in some areas of the country.The US has ramped testing capacity, but is still far behind where it needs to be. The US is now doing a little more than 200,000 tests per day, but experts believe it needs to be doing many times more. Experts also estimate that the US <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-needs-army-contact-tracers-coronavirus-getting-back-to-normal-2020-4">will need to hire as many as 300,000 contact tracers </a>to interview everyone who has a confirmed case, figure out who they interacted with, and warn and test them. And, because the coronavirus transmits easily within the home, the US also needs to develop a clear isolation and quarantine approach.US states and cities can and must execute much of this strategy. But they need federal money, resources, and leadership to do it. Alas, the US still lacks a strong, competent federal response.Our best hope is that infections slow sharply, testing and tracing capacity continues to increase, and we discover strong drugs and treatments before the fall flu season. Otherwise, we'll be living with this pandemic well into next year and beyond. —HB<h3>How to follow this strange presidential campaign</h3><div type="image" title="Trump/Biden" height="1000" width="2000" msid="75497557" hostid="261"></div>"<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/joe-biden-denies-tara-reades-allegation-in-morning-joe-interview-2020-5">This never happened</a>": On Friday morning Joe Biden denied Tara Reade's accusation that he sexually assaulted her in the early 1990s, capping a chaotic week in the 2020 presidential campaign, during which: <ul><li>Reade's allegation was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/former-neighbor-corroborates-joe-bidens-accuser-2020-4?utmSource=twitter&amp;utmContent=referral&amp;utmTerm=topbar&amp;referrer=twitterrrer=twitter">partly corroborated</a> by Insider. </li><li>President Trump's poll numbers sagged in key states, and he reportedly <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-threatened-sue-campaign-manager-brad-parscale-polls-2020-4">threatened to sue his campaign manager</a> about them. </li><li>Michigan Republican turned Independent turned Libertarian Rep. Justin Amash alarmed both Biden and Trump supporters by announcing <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/04/29/847781142/michigan-rep-justin-amash-takes-step-toward-libertarian-presidential-bid">he's running for president</a></li><li>Trump <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/04/30/trump-china-coronavirus-retaliation/">geared up a variety of attacks on China</a> that seem aimed at distracting from the economic catastrophe, shifting blame for the pandemic away from his administration, and tarring Biden as a China apologist. </li><li>Amid growing concern about how to safely hold the election, <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/04/pandemic-crushing-voter-registration-efforts/610927/">new voter registrations have plunged</a> to less than half of what they were in 2019, and seven states have effectively <a href="https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/04/26th-amendment-texas-absentee-ballots.html">barred people younger than 65 </a>from voting by mail. </li></ul>And that was just this week! The 2020 presidential election takes place six months from Sunday, so we're at the start of what promises to be one of the strangest political seasons in American history. The pandemic has played 52-card pickup with the campaign—the Democratic primaries more-or-less called off, the Democratic nominee campaigning from his basement, the conventions on the brink of cancellation, Election Day itself at risk, the presumed campaign issues—strong economy, impeachment, corruption, immigration—made obsolete by the COVID-19 catastrophe. This disarray and uncertainty mean that we're going to have to follow this campaign differently than we have in the past. The 2020 race will not have traditional campaign events, so a lot of the natural color of the campaign will vanish. The overwhelming nature of the pandemic and the economic collapse will flummox traditional forecasting tools. Instead, the election will likely boil down to three key questions. These, not all the swirl, are what to pay attention to in coming months. First, how much blame and credit is Trump getting for the pandemic, the economic collapse, and any potential rebound? How much is he being held responsible for whatever direction the country seems to be going in November? Second, is Biden a credible candidate, or will he be seriously damaged by either the Reade accusation or something else? Depending on where we are with question one, he doesn't have to be good, just barely viable, to defeat Trump Third, and most importantly: Instead of looking at polls, look at the mechanics of voting. The variable impact of the pandemic — and how partisan state officials respond to that — could cause vast differences in how the election actually takes place in different states. It may matter less which candidate has strong support in a state than how that state is conducting its election — by mail or in person, in the midst of an outbreak or during a quiet time, with more open polling stations or fewer. — DP<h3>Armed protest in the Michigan statehouse diminishes the reopen movement</h3><div type="image" title="Michigan protest .JPG" height="1000" width="2000" msid="75497560" hostid="261"></div>Yesterday's <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/04/30/capitol-protesters-urge-end-michigan-state-of-emergency/3055294001/">protest in Michigan</a> represented a new, disturbing development in the reopen movement. The peaceful crowd that swarmed the lobby of the state capitol, protesting the ongoing state of emergency, included at least half-a-dozen heavily armed men. Michigan law permits open-carry even inside the state capitol (though not on the legislative floor), so the men were breaking no laws. Still, the images of them occupying the public galleries above the lobby were disturbing: Some Michigan legislators wore bulletproof vests as they entered the building. The armed display distorts a critical public debate. The display in a state capitol — in the place built for peaceful, civil debate — warps the work legislators need to do, and overlays it with menace. You can't argue with a loaded gun. It's also worth asking whether those praising these armed protesters would have responded the same way had a group of African-American men, similarly armed, done the same thing. —DP<h3>Groundhog Day is a horror movie</h3>A <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2020/04/groundhog-day-horror-movie-quarantine/610867/">smart, short essay in the Atlantic</a> about the 1993 comedy, why it's so relevant today, and why we couldn't see how dark it was until we had to live it ourselves. —DP<h3>While you were distracted by the pandemic…</h3>Officials at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/29/business/cfpb-payday-loans-rules.html">manipulated government research,</a> giving the Trump administration cover to roll back regulations limiting "payday loans." —DP<h3>THE BIG 3*:</h3><h3>Sicily is so eager to get you to go that they'll pay for part of your trip!</h3>Most people won't be traveling anytime soon. But for the brave and frugal, there's Sicily. The Italian island is<a href="https://www.insider.com/sicily-offers-pay-half-flight-costs-boost-tourism-coronavirus-italy-2020-4"> offering to pay half of flight costs and a third of hotel costs</a> for anyone who wants to go once the travel ban is lifted. They'll throw in tickets to museums and archaeological sites, too.<h3>Your pets can't tell you they're stressed, so here's what to look for</h3><div type="image" title="work from home dog pet" height="1000" width="2000" msid="75497562" hostid="261"></div>Per veterinarians, <a href="https://www.insider.com/how-to-tell-if-your-dog-cat-is-stressed-what-to-do">this is what your dog or cat might do when they're anxious</a>:<ul><li>Obsessive grooming </li><li>Nose-licking</li><li>Excessive shedding</li><li>Yawning </li><li>Hiding under furniture or blankets</li><li>Trembling and pacing</li><li>Dilated pupils and flat ears</li><li>"Accidents" (Bladder and bowel-related) </li><li>Tail-tucking</li></ul><h3>"Janice" from "Friends" has a 20-year old daughter, and she's a TikTok celebrity</h3><a href="https://www.insider.com/janice-friends-daughter-recreated-oh-my-god-line-tiktok-2020-4">Oh my gawwwwwd!</a><div type="image" title="Janice and Gemma" height="506" width="675" msid="75497566" hostid="261"></div>* The 3 most popular stories on Insider this morning.Thank you for reading! Please let us know what you think. If we think other readers will enjoy your note, we'll publish it! <a href="mailto:henry@insider.com">henry@insider.com</a> and <a href="mailto:david@insider.com">david@insider.com</a>Read the original article on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-coronavirus-response-among-worst-in-world-2020-5">Business Insider</a>

The US coronavirus response is still one of the worst in the world

<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5e78ca632d41c155cb121e6b-2000/2020-03-23t134039z1558158719rc2ppf9jbbjkrtrmadp3health-coronavirus-greece-lockdown.jpg" alt="Syntagma square coronavirus COVID-19 Athens Greece mask hazmat" /><ul class="summary-list"><li>Greece goes into complete coronavirus lockdown today. All public places are closed and citizens cannot leave their houses without signing a legal form stating their purpose.</li><li>Even the anarchists have stopped fighting the police.</li><li>Greece is home to hundreds of thousands of refugees, many of whom have no access to medical care.</li><li>It's a disaster waiting to happen - and the government seems to be aware it will not be able to cope.</li><li>Mitch Prothero, Insider's correspondent in Athens, tells us what it's like.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>Today, Greece awoke to the most stringent coronavirus lockdown it has seen thus far, with all travel outside the home restricted, unless you are working in essential services or making quick trips to buy food or medicine. Greeks now require a government-issued "Certificate of Citizens' Movement" - which can be printed from the internet - to show police if you are caught outside your house. The document only allows outside travel for six reasons:<ol><li>Going to the local pharmacy or visiting your doctor ...</li><li>Going to an operating store supplying basic necessities (supermarket, mini market) ...</li><li>Going to the bank ...</li><li>Moving in order to assist people in need;</li><li>Attending a service (e.g. funeral, wedding, christening) in accordance with the legal provisions in force, ...</li><li>Working out in a public place or walking your pet, individually or in groups of two, in which latter case a distance of 1.5 meters must be kept.</li></ol>There is a complete ban on large gatherings. Police are enforcing the curfew with helicopters and military drones.<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5e78cdb10c2a6216224e7992-2342/screenshot 2020-03-23 at 143650.png" alt="Greece coronavirus" />The interior ministry is publicizing the ban with emergency messages on your phone, via the civil defense system. The incoming messages are more intrusive than texts. Each one makes a loud noise and takes over the entire screen of your device. "Stay home, stay safe," they advise.<h2>The government is convinced that the disaster will exceed its capability to manage</h2>Greece shut down its parks, cafes, and schools on March 11.After a decade-long financial crisis that shrunk the country's GDP by 25% - akin to the Great Depression in the US - the local infrastructure will be badly tested by any outbreak, let alone the numbers currently seen in Spain and neighboring Italy. We have some of the lowest rates of per-capita testing outside of the United States.The Greek government appears convinced that the disaster will exceed its capability to manage. The official numbers right now are low: <a href="http://www.ekathimerini.com/250934/article/ekathimerini/news/coronavirus-deaths-reportedly-rise-to-17">Just 17 deaths and 624 cases have been declared.</a>But officials are acting as if the numbers are high, which suggests they're more afraid of what is coming than what has already happened so far. The government drafted 2,000 doctors and nurses to new government contracts - far in excess of the number of current patients. It's not clear how many ICU beds Athens has in total, but most people here estimate around 500. It won't be enough if the lockdown fails. <h2>Greece was facing a number of simultaneous crises even before the arrival of COVID-19</h2>For the last five years, Greece's public health system has been unimaginably stretched by an ongoing influx of refugees from Syria and the war-torn Middle East. About 150,600 displaced persons now call Greece home, living in dystopian camps on the mainland and some of the islands.The islands are already on the brink of collapse. Lesvos, for instance, hosts a refugee camp named Moria which was originally designed to temporarily house 3,000 people. Yet tens of thousands have been crammed into it, for years-long periods.<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5e718c89c4854046a133c922-2000/gettyimages-1212055600.jpg" alt="Moria refugee camp in Lesbos, Greece" />The locals are furious at the Greek government's agreement with the EU to prevent refugees from leaving the islands after they arrive via boat from Turkey, on their long journey north.Last month, locals took over much of their island, <a href="https://greekcitytimes.com/2020/03/02/locals-in-lesvos-dont-allow-boat-of-migrants-to-disembark/">blocking refugee boats from docking on the island</a>, and attacking NGO workers and journalists. Riot police were sent by ferry from Athens to bring the chaos under control. The Turkish government has deliberately inflamed the situation. In an effort to bully the EU into supporting Turkey in its clashes with Syria and Russia, the Turks sent tens of thousands more refugees towards the border with Greece. Greek police clashed repeatedly with refugees and Turkish border guards. Vigilante groups of local residents formed militias to hunt down any refugees who got through.<h2>The refugee camps will be perfect breeding grounds for coronavirus</h2>In the last couple of weeks, however, silence has descended between the islands and Athens. Did the tensions suddenly stop amid the COVID crisis? I doubt anyone has any idea because news from the islands and the camps has now become a trickle: Journalists can't leave their homes to report in Athens, let alone Lesvos or Moria. Access to the camps, and to a large extent the islands themselves, has been halted for virtually everyone. There is a sinking sense of impending doom for the people stuck inside them - they lack basic amenities such as running or water or electricity, let alone medicine.I spoke with a Greek doctor who has volunteered in camps around the country, including Moria. He fears the absolute worst. <img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5e718c81c485401a9f55d5f2-2000/gettyimages-1212055539.jpg" alt="Moria refugee camp in Lesbos, Greece" />"It was a public health crisis for the residents of the camps, not just in Moria but all of them, of the highest magnitude BEFORE the arrival of COVID," said the doctor, who asked to only be identified as Panos, for fears of being targeted by right-wing groups for treating refugees. "As this hits the broader Greek society there's not going to be enough resources to save citizens let alone refugees. I'm not sure any of us can imagine how horrible this will be once the virus starts tearing through those communities. And as it does, there will simply not be any help."The brutal irony, Panos explained, is that the chances are good that the arrival on the islands of riot police and right-wing activists, including MEP's from various anti-immigration parties around Europe, probably spread the virus."The crisis in February and March almost certainly moved COVID into communities that would have been much easier to protect because they're isolated in the Aegean," said Panos. "Now the benefit of that isolation has been largely lost and replaced with a dangerous isolation that will make it increasingly impossible to get people to proper facilities for treatment as the system begins to collapse under the weight of the cases just on the mainland."<h2>A series of raids by riot police</h2>In Athens, my apartment is in the center of two neighborhoods dominated by hard left and anarchist groups who regularly engage in running street battles with the police. The activists throw bricks and the occasional Molotov cocktail, and the cops shoot tear gas and rubber bullets back.Things have become quite grim. It's a strongly pro-refugee and migrant area that had been housing hundreds of families without government assistance for years - until a series of raids by <a href="http://livingingreece.gr/2008/12/10/greek-riot-police/">the widely disliked Athens riot police, known by their Greek acronym MAT</a>, this summer and fall. Unlike regular Athens police officers, the MAT specialises in quelling unrest, often through violence of its own.<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5e78cbdd2d654f1361650ec6-2000/2020-02-29t201451z3lynxmpeg1s0bmrtroptp4syria-security-turkey-migrants.jpg" alt="Greece Turkey Pazarkule border crossing" />The anarchist squats - which had provided free housing, food and even health care to hundreds of refugees - were raided and shut, and the families inside them either made homeless or sent to closed camps around the country."I think the closure of the squats could lead to additional spreads of infections," said Panos. "They were housed, organized under the anarchists, now they're on the street hiding from the authorities or jammed into much worse camps and situations. The government couldn't have known this was coming but I will never understand the decision to take care away from volunteers and drop it on an already stressed, apathetic state."<h2>Greeks have fled the city for their family villages</h2>In the areas around my apartment - it's nearly impossible to draw broader conclusions in this most local of crisis - the streets were mostly deserted before the Monday morning curfew was announced. Tourists stopped booking AirBnB's in private homes. Greeks either stayed home or fled the city for the perceived safety of their ancestral villages. And with an economy more dependent on tourism - that is not going to happen in 2020 - than any other country in the EU, the post health crisis is likely to be exceeded by the unavoidable economic crisis that will follow.I asked my local pub owner why the sudden crackdown had worked so well, in light of the Greek tendency to ignore the government. He told me it was to do with the ban on smoking in restaurants and bars. For years, cafes have ignored the ban. But now the government is enforcing it, to put some teeth into the curfew."It's the fines to the bar that stopped it," he said. "There's not a single bar in all of Athens that could survive even a fine of 1,000 euros."<h2>With tears in her eyes she apologized. They'd be closed in an hour. </h2>This morning on my way to pick up breakfast and a coffee, I walked past his pub. It has been shuttered since the afternoon of March 11. There's no chance of reopening before April 30. His losses probably exceeded 1000 euros that first week. It's the same for every cafe in Europe, but the Greek government started this mess with far fewer resources than the rest of the EU. I hope he manages but we won't know for months. As I walked, I watched a police helicopter circle overhead. It's a common sight - the choppers track the battles between the anarchists and the MAT, using a small camera dome.But there haven't been any battles for a couple of weeks. In fact, the streets are empty. The helicopter was flying over a major road that was empty of traffic for a dozen or more blocks. The emptiness made its rotor wash sound much louder than normal.I bought breakfast from my corner bakery. It's owned by a husband and wife team. This morning the door was closed and I was handed my order through a window. They'd stayed open this far and I'd been making a point to grab as much takeaway as I could from my locals, trying to keep them open. But today the wife grabbed a second pastry and put it in my bag for free. With tears in her eyes she apologized. They'd be closed in an hour. "I'll be here when you're back," I said.<ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-conspiracy-theories-tbilisi-lugar-lab-coronavirus-test-2020-3">For years, Russia targeted conspiracy theories at a US-funded lab on the frontline of coronavirus testing</a></li></ul>

You Searched For "pet movement restrictions" and got 14 results

Bengaluru landlords and associations cannot ban residents from having pets — here’s what the BBMP guidelines say

BI India Bureau

Your pets produce just as much pollution as private jets, says luxury aviation company boss

Huileng Tan

Russian President Putin extends national paid leave till May 11 to contain COVID-19

IANS

China gave foreign countries and journalists seminars on how to restrict online speech and unflattering news reports

Alexandra Ma

Zimbabwe is looking at adopting cryptocurrency as legal payment, top government official says

Camomile Shumba

Cyprus COVID-19 outcry as dogs, not children allowed out

PTI

Bitcoin crashed to below $30,000 and managed to recover — but FUD still shadows the market

BI India Bureau

The best dog harnesses, according to professional dog trainers

Shoshi Parks

People are experiencing 'skin hunger' after months without touching anyone

Anna Medaris Miller

What 8 horror movies looked like behind the scenes

Ian Phillips,Kyle Desiderio

10 Things in Politics: Showdown looms to keep the government open

Brent D. Griffiths

The US coronavirus response is still one of the worst in the world

Henry Blodget,David Plotz

In Greece, the government prepares for a crisis that is beyond its capacity to handle

Mitch Prothero,Mitch Prothero

FED BEIGE BOOK: Housing And Auto Sales Are Driving 'Moderate' Growth In The US

Matthew Boesler