Tiger Woods produced a scintillating finish to win a fifth Masters title and end an 11-year wait to claim a 15th major.
There
were raucous celebrations around the 18th green as Woods finished with a
two-under-par 70 to win on 13 under, one clear of fellow Americans
Dustin Johnson, Xander Schauffele and Brooks Koepka.
Woods,
written off by so many so often as he battled back problems in recent
years, punched the air in delight, a wide smile across his face, before
celebrating with his children at the back of the green.
"I'm a
little hoarse from yelling," said the 43-year-old. "I was just trying to
plod my way around all day then all of a sudden I had the lead.
"Coming up 18 I was just trying to make a five. When I tapped in I don't know what I did, I know I screamed.
"To have my kids there, it's come full circle. My dad was here in 1997 and now I'm the dad with two kids there.
"It will be up there with one of the hardest I've had to win because of what has transpired in the last couple of years."
The Army and Air Force Exchange Service, one of the largest retailers
in the United States which serves millions of active-duty military
members and their families, is clarifying a memo sent this week which
recommended that stores stop displaying the news on their televisions.
The
message, obtained by NPR, told managers, "News channels should not be
shown on common area TVs due to their divisive political nature."
Instead,
the Defense Department agency suggested that stores feature something
less controversial: sports. "The Exchange has elected to play sports
channels/sports programming on all common area TVs," the message stated. AAFES
operates more than 3,000 facilities at military installations across
the world — including fast-food restaurants, clothing stores and
convenience shops.
Televisions mounted in common areas have often displayed Fox and
CNN, allowing customers to watch news reports as they eat in food courts
and shop in stores.
Chris Ward, AAFES' senior public affairs
manager, tells NPR that the memo was not a policy change but "general
guidance" for the stores.
Ward says the recommendation to
feature sports channels over the news reflected a desire to appeal to as
many customers as possible.
"We've gotten comments from
customers, 'Why is this TV on Fox?' 'Why is this TV on CNN?' You're
never going to appeal to everyone," Ward says.
The elders also frowned
at what they considered as unjustified silence of the administration
over rising threats to the north in particular and some parts of Nigeria
by bandits, herdsmen, kidnappers, armed robbers and other gangs causing
mayhem without any appropriate response from the security agencies.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting and signed by the
Convener of the NEF, Prof Ango Abdullahi, the elders questioned the
undue priority given by the government to politics over human lives,
blaming it on what it calls ‘ weak political will and monumental
political corruption’.
Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/04/northern-elders-attack-buhari-over-worsening-insecurity-quality-of-lives/
The elders also frowned
at what they considered as unjustified silence of the administration
over rising threats to the north in particular and some parts of Nigeria
by bandits, herdsmen, kidnappers, armed robbers and other gangs causing
mayhem without any appropriate response from the security agencies.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting and signed by the
Convener of the NEF, Prof Ango Abdullahi, the elders questioned the
undue priority given by the government to politics over human lives,
blaming it on what it calls ‘ weak political will and monumental
political corruption’.
Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/04/northern-elders-attack-buhari-over-worsening-insecurity-quality-of-lives/
The elders also frowned
at what they considered as unjustified silence of the administration
over rising threats to the north in particular and some parts of Nigeria
by bandits, herdsmen, kidnappers, armed robbers and other gangs causing
mayhem without any appropriate response from the security agencies.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting and signed by the
Convener of the NEF, Prof Ango Abdullahi, the elders questioned the
undue priority given by the government to politics over human lives,
blaming it on what it calls ‘ weak political will and monumental
political corruption’.
Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/04/northern-elders-attack-buhari-over-worsening-insecurity-quality-of-lives/
The elders also frowned
at what they considered as unjustified silence of the administration
over rising threats to the north in particular and some parts of Nigeria
by bandits, herdsmen, kidnappers, armed robbers and other gangs causing
mayhem without any appropriate response from the security agencies.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting and signed by the
Convener of the NEF, Prof Ango Abdullahi, the elders questioned the
undue priority given by the government to politics over human lives,
blaming it on what it calls ‘ weak political will and monumental
political corruption’.
Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/04/northern-elders-attack-buhari-over-worsening-insecurity-quality-of-lives/
The government’s recent notification on categories of medical devices
including an entire range of implantable devices as drugs, to ensure
the supply of safe devices, and monitoring the introduction, has
perturbed the medical devices community. Informing that the government’s
intentions are good, yet these could have some far reaching impact.
Experts in the medical devices segment also argue that the decision is
half-baked and has left them questioning the approach taken.
The Union Health Ministry recently notified that eight more
categories of medical devices including the entire range of implantable
devices will be known as drugs — MRI equipment, PET, bone marrow
separators, dialysis machines, CT scan and defibrillators — which is set
to come into effect from April 2020.
Elucidating the background of how medical devices are regulated in
India, Sumit Goel, Partner, Healthcare Advisory, KPMG in India, informed
that till 2017, there were very limited regulations and in a bid to
regulate the medical devices, the Government of India in February 2017
notified the new Medical Device Rules 2017, by exercise of powers
conferred by the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
For the medical devices to be regulated under the Medical Device
Rules 2017, a medical device has to be notified under the said Act as
‘drugs’ by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO).
Initially, only 15 categories of medical devices were notified under the
said Act and hence, covered under the Medical Device Rules. Sumit Goel
Hence, classifying these medical devices as drugs is more of a legal
technicality rather than an attempt by the government to regulate these
devices along the line of drugs. However, different set of rules apply
to medical devices under the Medical Device Rules-2017.
Goel further emphasised that it was a positive step by the government
to ensure that devices available in the market will meet certain
quality standards. These devices play an important role in diagnosis,
treatment, mitigation or prevention of diseases or disorder in patients
and a sub-standard quality can adversely impact patient safety. Pavan Choudary
Talking about the move, Pavan Choudary, Chairman, Medical Technology
Association of India (MTaI), said, “A device is an electro-mechanical
unit. Drugs are chemical or biological entities. The beginning made in
2005 to regulate drugs as devices, in our view, was a mistake. However, a
lot has been done in the last few years to correct this mistake. And,
we feel that the government is finding its path again.”
Experts inform that the medical devices segment is a vital cogwheel
of the healthcare sector and it has a unique functionality. They contend
that these devices cannot be treated the same as a drug. They raise
questions on the new notification. Can devices be categorised as drugs?
Experts question how can a regulatory mechanism for drugs ‘also’ be
the yardstick for the safety and efficacy of medical devices? Dr Tejinder Kataria
Usage of drugs and equipment is completely different, informed Dr
Tejinder Kataria, Chairperson, Radiation Oncology, Cancer Institute
Medanta, The Medicity. She added that medical devices and
pharmaceuticals vary in their development, evolution, manufacturing,
method of delivery, and impact on patients. “You cannot have both under
the same banner. This will not help patients but risk their lives even
more,” she said.
Informing that when we call a medical device a drug, the approval on
its use and regulation becomes complicated. Mohammad Ameel, Senior
Consultant, Healthcare Technologies, WHO CC for Priority Medical Devices
& Health Technology Policy, National Health Systems Resource
Centre, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India,
said, “Let’s not forget that India imports a major share of its medical
devices. We use regulations on these devices as per international
standards, or as instructed. They cannot be under the same roof.” Dr Gaurav Laroia
Asserting that it is a challenge, Himanshu Baid, Chairman CII Medical
Technology Division and Managing Director, Polymedicure, said,
“Regulation of medical devices along the lines of drugs under Drugs and
Cosmetic Act with desired intervention will help address various
challenges as the act does not provide requisite provisions to control
and monitor all the medical devices.”
Highlighting that the medical devices and drugs are two core elements
of health treatment, yet the two are different in application and
function, Choudary, said, “The two sectors cannot be treated as one.
CDSCO recognised this distinctiveness of medical devices and has come
with Medical Device Rules 2017, specifically for this sector. These
regulations will surely help in the development of quality management
systems in the country because these regulations lay custom-made
regulatory foundation for medical devices which was required.” Himanshu Baid
Stating that regulating medical devices is a knowledge-and
experience-intensive work, Choudary also mentioned, “Keeping the
historical development of medical devices regulation in mind, CDSCO has
the maximum expertise in this area because since 2005, it is the
organisation which has been regulating medical devices. To try to
duplicate this expertise in any other body would be a herculean task and
will lead to duplication. In reality, MTaI is against the idea of a
separate agency for standards. The point which is made that we need to
have another agency for India-specific standards also has to be
carefully considered. The essential principle guidelines, which the
CDSCO implements and makes sure the industry follows, are standards
which finally confirm whether the product is safe and effective for
patients.”
Demanding a separate regulatory act for devices, Dr BB Chanana, Head
of Department Interventional Cardiologist, Maharaja Agrasen Super
Specialty Hospital, said, “As a healthcare community, we were expecting a
separate regulatory act for devices. We need a scientific approach to
regulatory issues, particularly for devices which are engineering-driven
products and not chemical entities like drugs. You cannot ensure
patient safety by putting drugs and devices under the same regulations?
The notice lacks clarity. Is an implantable device the same as a
medicine?” Dr BB Chanana
Taking the manufacturer perspective, Baid opined that including
high-end medical devices and all implantables under Medical Device Rules
2017 has and will ensure access to quality medical device for all stake
holders.
“The latest notification in February 6, 2019 technically includes
majority of Class III medical devices which are under implantable
category and high-end medical devices encompass major portion of Class
II/III medical devices. Manufacturers need to get multi-ministerial
approvals in initial stage, followed by commitment to maintain the
equipment’s running as per specification over a decade which involves
import of several parts/replacement of critical portion of equipment.
All this requires import of parts post-sales and required to be serviced
at users premises. These high-end medical devices undergo stringent
evaluation, thereby undergoing minor to major changes depending on the
market response post release, hence requires regulatory approvals . All
these challenges will be difficult to handle under current provisions of
Medical Device Rules. It is advisable that regulators should consider
to bring desired changes in Act for medical devices to control and
monitor all the medical devices under regulations. Also, there is an
urgent need to review requirements of high-end medical devices with
respect to maintenance, testing, stock and sale. It may be appropriate
that regulators provide separate provisions under Medical Device Rules
2017 to address separate needs of said products,” he stated. Mohammad Ameel
Informing that medical devices are nowadays a pervasive part of
contemporary medical care, Dr Gaurav Laroia, General Manager, Roche
Diabetes Care India said, “At Roche we believe that MDR 2017 rules will
help in bringing up the QMS standards across the board. With the
escalating use of medical devices, stringent regulatory standards are
necessary to certify that the devices are safe, well studied and have
minimum adverse reactions.”
“It is the prerogative of the government to safeguard the interests
of patients and the country. The public also expects that medical
devices are of the highest safety standards. Regulations that are in the
best interest of patients will only help the industry. Risk Based
Classification Systems, QMS requirements, Concept of Notified body
assessments etc. will all support the quality objective,”he added.
He further added, “Quality assurance programmes need to be familiar
with frequent problems with medical devices and how to approach them.”
Explaining the government’s stand, a Union Health Ministry official
said, “Many medical devices are not yet regulated and are available in
the market without any certification or regulatory control. Till now 23
medical devices are regulated and nearly 5000 more devices needs
regulation. We have picked up the Singapore model after systems in the
US, Canada, Australia and Japan were also examined at a high-level
meeting with officials from health ministry, CDSCO and associations,
representatives from industry. Our concern is patient safety, medical
device can have serious adverse events so we are bringing in adequate
regulatory interventions as far as medical device regulatory system is
concerned.”
Reinstating that as a manufacturer, regulations are always welcome,
as it provides a basic structure for development to market access Baid
said, “CDSCO’s recent proposal to bring in simple regulations to include
all medical devices by simple regulatory process similar to models
followed by few major Asian countries like Singapore is a welcome step.
At the outset bringing Class III Medical devices under regulation will
definitely provide requisite check and balance for manufacturers, users
and end beneficiary patients. There is an urgent need for more approved
test houses to support during design development.”
“Industry is waiting for proposed road map by CDSCO for regulating
all the medical devices which will provide innovators , manufacturers
clarity on upcoming regulations under existing Medical Device Rules next
three to five years. Current provision needs a notification for
regulating medical device,” he added. The medical devices fraternity
also informs that the biggest relief which the industry requires to
function efficiently is to get rid of the multiple controlling bodies.
Today, the Indian medical devices industry is controlled by CDSCO,
Atomic energy Regulatory board (AERB), Department of Telecommuni-cations
(DoT), State Food and Drug Administration (FDAs) and Bureau of Indian
Standards (BIS), among others. Call for a single window regulatory exercise
The medical devices industry is controlled in various aspects by ten
bodies. This leads to interdepartmental delays, duplication and
sometimes even turf issues. The Medical Device Rules is the first
coherent and comprehensive move from the government which is tailor made
for medical devices.
“We hope that this regulatory exercise will be taken to its logical
conclusion, and there would hopefully be just one regulator for the
medical devices sector. MTaI believes that a single-window regulatory
regime for medical devices will enable the industry to serve the
patients better and keep this sector attractive for all serious players
irrespective of their domiciliary origins. Wider consultation on all
matters plaguing the healthcare sector will highlight the necessity of
having a single window where all the compliance requirements converge,”
Choudary added. Reiterating on the positive step taken by the
government, Goel informs that the regulated medical devices play an
important role in diagnosis, treatment, mitigation or prevention of
diseases or disorder in patients and a sub-standard quality can
adversely impact patient safety. For example, digital thermometers being
regulated, will ensure only quality products which provide correct
readings are available in the market. Wrong readings can result in
adverse impact on a patient.
Informing that there will be significant impact on domestic and
international market post implementation of regulation and future action
of bringing all medical devices under MDR 2017, industry doyens say
that 70-75 per cent products available in market will get impacted in
terms of availability, quality to healthcare providers and end
beneficiary.
“The increase in prices of stents indicates that NPPA is mindful of
the operational pressures in the medical device industry. We continue to
be hopeful that in the interest of Indian patients and quality of
Indian healthcare, the Government will bring in a policy to
differentially price the innovative generations of medical devices. We
are also engaged with the NPPA to find a way to offset the exchange
value depreciation and thus mitigate the economic threats in the system
to the medical device industry,” Choudary said.
Pointing out that robust implementation of these regulations would
ensure that quality and patient safety stay in the foreground, Choudhary
added that stressing on quality would eventually improve the
reimbursement levels for devices and give a share of this pie to the
quality supplier too. Internationally, the reputation of Made in India
products would go up.
“Sanitising the sector was important. We must not over-regulate and
sterilise it,” he concludes. Demanding patients’ protection, stronger
regulation and price capping to make devices and quality treatment
accessible, the Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AiMED)
has recommended political parties to include concerns regarding medical
devices in their manifestos.
“The key points of their recommendations demand regulation of all
medical devices under a patients’ safety medical devices law, protect
consumers from exploitatively high pricing in medical devices through
rational price controls, to encourage employment and Make in India,
ensuring public procurement of quality medical devices at affordable
price, shift from L1 (lowest cost) to Q1 (best quality at reasonable
price) so best price and best quality can be factored for public
procurement in public health institutions,” AiMED proposal for election
manifesto read. Meanwhile, public health advocates inform that the new
regulations will increase transparency. Still with one year for
implementation, we need to wait and watch on the on the outcomes of the
new regulations and its impact on the medical device manufacturers and
device companies functioning in India.
The Athletic plans on delivering over
20 new podcasts focused on hyper-local and national sports coverage to
its over 100,000 paid subscribers. The paywalled sports outlet launched
its new podcast venture on Tuesday, featuring shows that focus on the
NBA, NHL, NFL, MLB and fantasy sports. The company is also planning on
adding a total of 15 podcasts that focus on local sports in the Bay Area
and Toronto.
It's an ambitious amount of content for any publication, not to
mention a relatively new one with a modest subscriber base. Launched in
2016, The Athletic has bet on the fact that subscribers are
willing to pay a premium for the kind of in-depth local and national
sports coverage rapidly disappearing from the local sports pages. Its
masthead includes many popular sports journalists that either left or
were let go from traditional sports media outlets like ESPN, such as Jayson Stark and Peter Gammons.
The podcast lineup will include new shows like "The Opener," an MLB podcast with ESPN alumn Jonah Keri, and "The TK Show," a Bay Area sports podcast featuring Tim Kawakami, a former sports columnist for the Mercury News. The company also acquired existing shows like "The Daily Ding," which covers the NBA, and "Birds All Day," which covers the Toronto Blue Jays and is hosted by baseball writers Drew Fairservice and Andrew Stoeten.
The podcasts will only be accessible behind The Athletic's paywall, and won't be available on outside channels like Spotify or Apple Music. With this move, The Athletic is a part of a wider trend in 2019 of companies exploring the paid podcast model. Spotify bought premium podcast company Gimlet Media for $230 million back in February. Newsletter publisher Substack also launched a paid podcasting arm this year.
God expect us to grow continuously, some Christians feed on milk while others with solid food. Milk is for new born babes and God expected us to grow into adult in the ministry even those who are holy are expected to grow in Christ Jesus as the day goes by, therefore the City of David Osubi Redeemed Church is inviting everyone to the Easter go out fishing especially those who reside close to Warri environ. Shalom
Phone selfies are a thing of the past. The truth is, people are bored of taking phone selfies...
At first you had your standard phone selfie, after that the 'selfie stick', and now selfies have evolved to a whole new level!
Before anyone knew what was happening, thousands of people
in Nigeria started uploading jaw dropping selfies from every angle.
These selfies went viral over social media and soon everyone wanted in!
It did not take long before this new type of selfie went viral worldwide!
What is it?
It’s the brand new Drone X Pro, a breakthrough in drone technology that's made so that anyone can fly it with ease. It's
makes taking breathtaking selfies fun and easy!
Two German engineers found that drones were heavy and hard to travel with.
So, they put their heads together and designed an ultra-compact, lightweight drone, with all the benefits of a top HD model. The Drone X Pro is born—it’s easy to control, stable and it can live-stream and record to your phone.
People starting using it to take 'the ultimate selfies' - the results are astonishing...
How does Drone X Pro work?
We were surprised by how fast and easy it was
to get up and running! Start by installing an app (just scan the QR
code in the manual). It’s take just minutes.
After that, just install the battery in your drone and launch the app. You’re now ready to fly your Drone X Pro! Here's the best part: flying is extremely easy. Flying the drone is
smooth and natural as riding a bike. Our friend's son came over the
office, and he figured how to fly the drone in just minutes. It’s
remarkable how stable and smooth the controls are!
Once the drone is in the air engage the built-in camera. You can now take jaw dropping selfies, and even videos. Take pictures from angles that are impossible with a phone selfie. You're friend will be in awe!
Here's the Drone X Pro in action:
How Much Does it Cost?
If you're like me, you're probably guessing a
breakthrough drone like this must go for $300, even $400. For a limited
time, they're only selling for $99, (deal only available online, $199
in shops). It's a great deal for drone of this level.
The Presidency said on Wednesday that
President Muhammadu Buhari had yet to sign the National Minimum Wage
Bill just passed by the National Assembly into law, contrary to reports
last week that he had done so.
The Senate had on March 19 passed the bill, approving N30,000 as the new national minimum wage.
By its action, the Senate concurred the
earlier decision of the House of Representatives, which passed the bill
before the National Assembly shut down its operations to enable
lawmakers to participate in the 2019 general elections, beginning from
February 16.
Last week, there were social media reports, claiming that Buhari had assented to the bill.
But speaking in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH
in Abuja on Wednesday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on
National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, dismissed the
reports.
He said that signing of bills was not
done in secrecy, as the President would normally communicate his
decision to Nigerians publicly.
Enang clarified that Buhari had yet to sign the bill on the grounds that there were operational procedures to be followed.
However, he confirmed that the bill,
which captured N30,000 as the new national minimum wage, had been
transmitted to Buhari by the National Assembly.
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